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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28733073">a sunday kind of love</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/froginred/pseuds/froginred'>froginred</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Haikyuu!!</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Akaashi Keiji is Bad at Feelings, Akaashi Keiji is a Mess, Akaashi gets fired, Alternate Universe - Flower Shop, Bokuto Koutarou &amp; Kuroo Tetsurou are Bros, Everyone Is Gay, F/F, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Minor Hinata Shouyou/Kageyama Tobio, Minor Shimizu Kiyoko/Yachi Hitoka, Minor Takeda Ittetsu/Ukai Keishin, Minor Tsukishima Kei/Yamaguchi Tadashi, Slow Burn, this is already spiraling so far out of my control</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-04-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 12:40:44</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>25,869</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28733073</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/froginred/pseuds/froginred</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Akaashi lives a quiet life. He’s had a bad history with romance, and has no interest in it as such. Until one day, he loses his job and meets Bokuto, who helps him out. Soon, he finds himself falling for Bokuto against his will.</p><p>Bokuto lives a loud life. He works hard at his job in the flower shop, and has a tendency to fall in love all over the place. Especially with people who are way out of his league, like Akaashi.</p><p>A chance encounter leads Akaashi and Bokuto together, and they change each other’s lives for the better.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou, Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru, Kozume Kenma/Kuroo Tetsurou, Sawamura Daichi/Sugawara Koushi</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>76</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. a lonely road that leads to nowhere</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hi! This is the first fic I've ever written, so I hope it's alright. I also hope that I've written Akaashi's character okay, 'cause I was kinda worried about him being ooc. I legit rewatched the entire training camp arc to write him better akjsdhskadhf</p>
<p>I have never had an office job, and I've never been fired from one, so sorry if that part's not accurate, I was definitely just winging it.</p>
<p>I'm gonna try to update once every week or so, but I'm really bad about procrastination so sorry in advance if I'm late. thanks to <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/partywithoutplot/pseuds/partywithoutplot">lila</a> for beta-ing this for me</p>
<p>Let me know any feedback in the comments!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Akaashi Keiji was having a bad day. No, scratch that; he was having one of the worst days of his entire life. It wasn’t the very worst, not by any means, but it sure as hell was up there.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Honestly, he didn’t know why he’d expected any differently.  He’d slept through his alarm and only woken up when the alarm had been going off for well over 20 minutes. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Shit, I’m gonna be late,” Akaashi hissed as he tore into his closet to look for clothes. The clock read 8:45, and work started at 9. The only problem was Akaashi lived 45 minutes from his job. Sometimes it took even longer on days with bad traffic.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Akaashi haphazardly threw on some clothes. He couldn’t even be bothered to check if they matched. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>He dashed across his apartment, snatching up the bagel he’d stuffed into the toaster five minutes ago. It was only half cooked, but it would have to do. After throwing on a jacket and chucking his keys and phone into the pockets, Akaashi sprinted out the door, leaving only the lingering scent of bagels behind in the apartment.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Akaashi took the stairs two at a time, bounding down them in a way that was nerve-wracking to watch. Throwing himself into his car, he immediately gunned the engine and took off. If he went a little over the speed limit, he’d maybe only be a little late.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Akaashi worked in an office on the 2nd floor of Fukurodani Inc. Fukurodani was a big publication firm, and Akaashi’s job was to organize paperwork. It wasn’t exactly exciting work, but it paid well enough and he didn’t hate his coworkers, Konoha and Komi. This was lucky, seeing as they were both technically his bosses, something they never failed to point out whenever they wanted coffee but wanted Akaashi to fetch it for them. Konoha and Komi were both perfectly pleasant people to work with, although Akaashi privately thought they were a bit too troublesome for their own good sometimes. So, all in all, he liked his job and it was as enjoyable as any job could be. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Today, though, as Akaashi sat on the highway in a massive traffic jam, he couldn’t help but curse it for being so far away. He knew he was going to be obscenely late and there was nothing he could do about it. After pounding his head on the steering wheel a few times, Akaashi felt a little better. He tried his best to relax. This was out of his control now.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Finally, nearly an hour later, Akaashi pulled into the parking lot of the Fukurodani office building. He tore out of his car and inside, flying past the bewildered woman at the front desk. Akaashi decided to take the stairs and rocketed up them with legs fueled by adrenaline. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>He knew he was insanely late, but he figured all Konoha and Komori would do about it was threaten to write him up, laugh, and then forget about it.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>However, when he skidded in the door of the office, an apology already on his lips, something was noticeably off. Konoha and Komi, who usually joked around in the mornings, both had their heads down and were working in a subdued way. The reason for this became obvious when Akaashi’s eyes fell onto the woman who was standing by his desk. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Yukie Shirofuku, who oversaw their entire department, was standing awkwardly by Akaashi’s desk and facing the door. She was clearly waiting for him. Akaashi vaguely wondered why. Yukie almost never came down to their office unless it was something important.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“There you are, Akaashi-san,” she called as he walked tentatively over to his desk. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I’m sorry I’m so late, I slept through my alarm and the traffic was terrible,” Akaashi replied apologetically. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Yukie nodded in acknowledgment, then sighed, rubbing her temples. Akaashi mentally cursed himself for sounding so irresponsible. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Look, Akaashi,” Yukie started, her tone weary, “There’s no easy way to tell you this, so I’m not going to beat around the bush. The higher-ups wanted to make a few pay cuts so they can send one of our bigger name authors on a press tour, and you got fired. I’m sorry.” </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Behind Yukie’s back, Konoha and Komi both winced and sent Akaashi sympathetic looks.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Akaashi was stunned into silence. He stood for a moment, processing her words. He’d been fired? Why? Akaashi knew he was no paperwork-sorting wizard, but he’d thought he was good enough that his job wasn’t in danger. Evidently, he’d been wrong. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Slowly, Akaashi said, “Why me?” He thought he might have an idea why they would have chosen him to be fired over other people. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Yukie’s face softened. “I think it had something to do with all the days you missed last fall,” she said gently.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Akaashi winced. This was what he’d expected, but it still hurt. He knew he’d taken too many days off, but back then, he couldn’t be bothered to care.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“When do they want me to go?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I think this afternoon, if you can. You can grab your last paycheck on the way out from Akemi at the front desk.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Akaashi just stared blankly. Some distant part of his brain thought, "So that’s what the front desk woman’s name is, then."</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I’ll start packing now, I suppose.” His mouth moved of its own volition, and Yukie nodded, with an air of relief that he was taking it so well.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Apparently that ended the conversation, because Yukie started to walk over to the door. However, she paused before leaving. Her hand rested on the doorframe, and she said quietly, “I really am sorry, Akaashi. Let me know if I can help with anything.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>And then she was gone. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Akaashi heard Konoha and Komi let out long breaths behind him, but he ignored them and flopped into his desk chair. Shutting his eyes tightly, he leaned back and tried to pretend like everything was fine. He failed horribly at that, so instead he opened his eyes back up and stared at the ceiling. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>After glaring at it for a moment, Akaashi concluded it was a pretty stupid ceiling. With a sigh, he sat back up.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Akaashi reasoned he should probably start packing up his stuff. Better now than later. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Do you guys know where they keep the leftover boxes?” Akaashi asked, turning to Konoha and Komi. His voice sounded flat, even to himself. His coworkers were kind enough not to point this out.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“They should be in the storage room on the 7th floor in the closet to the left of the elevator, I think,” Konoha replied. Akaashi dipped his head in thanks, and walked out the door. He could hear Konoha and Komi murmuring as soon as he left, but couldn’t be bothered to care.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>It almost felt like he was floating outside his body. Akaashi still couldn’t quite believe that this was really happening.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I suppose I should start looking for a new job when I get home, he thought dully to himself as he walked into the elevator. As Akaashi was pondering what type of job he should even look for, someone else walked into the elevator. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Akaashi looked up and internally groaned. The last person he wanted to see at the moment was his friend Oikawa, yet there Oikawa stood. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Oikawa didn’t actually work at Fukurodani, he was just an author whose works they published. He and Akaashi had been friends since college, along with their other friend Sugawara. The three of them met initially in high school through playing volleyball and had all ended up at the same college. They’d stayed a tight-knit group ever since they did a group project for a class together. Unfortunately for Akaashi, this meant Oikawa was very good at telling when he was upset. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Hey, Aka-chan!” Oikawa said cheerfully as he pushed the button for the 5th floor. “How’re you doing today?”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Akaashi decided it would be pointless to lie to Oikawa. He would immediately sniff out the lie, and Akaashi was not in the mood for an interrogation. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“I just got fired.” He said flatly. “I’m getting a box to pack up my stuff.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Oikawa’s face visibly dropped. “Did they tell you why?” </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Yukie said it was because of last fall.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Yeah, I kinda figured,” Oikawa sighed as he leaned back against the wall of the elevator. His air of sunniness was completely gone now. “You did miss, like, three weeks of work. Honestly, I was surprised they didn’t fire you back then.” </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Wow, Oikawa, tell me how you really feel,” Akaashi replied sarcastically. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Oikawa, for his part, chose to ignore this. The elevator dinged, signaling that it had reached Oikawa’s floor. The silver doors slid open, revealing another labyrinth of offices. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Before he left, Oikawa turned to Akaashi. “Me and Suga are coming to your house later with copious amounts of alcohol. There is nothing you can do to stop us.” </p>
<p> </p>
<p>And with that, Oikawa exited the elevator, waving goodbye over his shoulder. The doors slid shut, and Akaashi was left alone again.  </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Akaashi had known Oikawa would insist on coming over later that day. It was a long-standing tradition that whenever any of the three of them got dumped or fired, they all hung out and drank themselves near to death. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>It had started back in their second year of college when Suga had been dumped by his then-girlfriend. Akaashi had personally thought this was for the best, as she had been kind of a bitch, but Suga had been devastated. Oikawa had come over with as many beers as he could carry, and pretty soon they had all been wasted on Suga’s couch. While his memory of the night was admittedly spotty, Akaashi thought he remembered the three of them sobbing together while watching The Lion King. After that, every time one of them got had a nasty breakup or firing, they did it again.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The elevator dinged, jolting Akaashi out of his memories. As the doors slid open, he stepped out onto the 7th floor. There was a closet just to the left of the elevator, just like Konoha had said.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Akaashi grabbed a box that looked like it would be able to hold all of his things. He didn’t really have very much stuff on his desk now that he thought about it. He didn’t have a significant other, and his family barely spoke to him anymore, except for on holidays, so there were no picture frames decorating his desk. It was actually kind of depressing, he realized. Not that it mattered anymore.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Trying to forget the bleak state of his (not really his anymore) desk, Akaashi walked back out to the elevator. While he waited for the doors to open, people passed behind him. He didn’t look to see if he knew any of them, instead listening to their footsteps grow louder and then fade. After a moment, the elevator arrived, and Akaashi stepped on board. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>It was blissfully empty inside, and Akaashi pressed the button for the 3rd floor before leaning against the wall. He tucked the box under his arm, mostly just to occupy his hands, and looked at the ceiling. It felt he’d been doing that a lot today. He wasn’t quite sure why he was doing it, either. It wasn’t like the ceiling was going to suddenly grow a face and say “Surprise, you’re not fired, happy April Fools!” Ceilings didn’t have faces, and April was four months ago. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Akaashi sighed for what felt like the thousandth time that day and lowered his head again. It would probably be best if he packed up quickly, said his goodbyes to Konoha and Komi and then left right away. He wanted some time to wallow in self pity before Oikawa and Suga came over. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>The elevator chimed, and Akaashi hoisted the box up before stepping out. As he walked, he tried to brace himself for the pitying looks Konoha and Komi were sure to send his way. He liked the two of them, but pity was something he neither needed nor wanted.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>After making his way down the hallway from the elevator, Akaashi trudged back into his office. Sure enough, Konoha and Komi’s eyes looked soft and pitying. Akaashi chose to ignore this, instead walking over to his desk and setting the box down on his chair. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>The only things in his desk worth keeping were a small potted succulent with budding pink flowers, a few binders, and an assortment of pens and pencils. He placed them all carefully into the box, being especially cautious with the tiny plant. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>As Akaashi put the last of his things into the box, a piece of paper dropped onto his desk beside his hand. He glanced up, and Konoha and Komi were both standing there looking mildly awkward. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>“It’s our phone numbers,” Komi said, gesturing to the sliver of paper. “Just in case you ever wanted to go out for drinks or anything.” </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Konoha nodded along, before adding, “I hope you know you’re our friend, Akaashi. We want to help if we can.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Akaashi smiled faintly. “Thanks, guys. I might take you up on that offer some time.” </p>
<p> </p>
<p>He picked up his box again, hoisting it onto his left hip. “See you guys around.”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Konoha half grinned, and Komi waved. And with that, Akaashi walked out the door of his office in the corner of the 3rd floor. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>He was never going back. </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. more than love at first sight</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>so this is definitely already getting away from me. i started writing this chapter and my brain just went nuts and now this is what i have for you<br/>i also made a playlist, if anyone wants to listen to it while reading: <a href="https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0D6lI2XAkHCfIpIshVXAwz?si=9Y8cTwViTbWJr_vMg41Rww">here</a><br/>note: the city in this fic isn’t any specific real place, just a sort of ambiguous city i made up in my brain. i imagine it as medium-sized, so not super huge but still decent sized<br/>anyways this was done faster than i expected so it’s a day early! we’re finally getting into the real story, woo hoo!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Bokuto Koutarou was also having an unusual day, although so far it wasn’t necessarily bad. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After rolling out of bed at around 10, he staggered bleary-eyed into the kitchen of his apartment. He groaned as he poured himself a generous cup of coffee, sleep still hanging over his head like a storm cloud. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Morning, sleeping beauty.” A voice rang out from across the kitchen. Bokuto looked up and saw Kuroo Tetsurou, his best friend and roommate, grinning at him wolfishly. He was seated on the couch, with a volleyball game playing faintly on the television. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What do you want, Kuroo,” Bokuto said around a yawn. He hadn’t gone to sleep until nearly 3 am last night.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kuroo pressed a hand to his chest in mock outrage. “How dare you assume I want something? Can’t I just say good morning to my best friend?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bokuto didn’t dignify this with a response, instead taking a large swig of coffee and walking over to the pantry. He fished out a box of cereal and poured himself a bowl. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kuroo and Bokuto had met way back in high school. They’d ended up seated next to each other in junior year chemistry, and had spent the entire year clowning around in the back of the class. The fact that they had both passed was a miracle.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bokuto continued to munch on his cereal. He knew Kuroo wanted something; he always got a certain glint in his eyes. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kuroo, for his part, was silent for a moment, then finally said, “Okay, so I do actually need something.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bokuto snorted. “Yeah, figures. What is it?”</span>
  <span><br/>
<br/>
</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Kuroo vaulted himself over the couch and walked into the kitchen. He nimbly snatched up a handful of Bokuto’s cereal, earning an indignant shout. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I need you,” he said after swallowing the cereal, “To take over my shift in the shop today.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bokuto groaned. “Kuroo, you know today is my one day off.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I do, but I really need to be free.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> “Why?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I promised Kenma I’d go with him to a gaming convention, but I totally forgot I was working,” Kuroo grimaced. “You know how angry Kenma gets when I have to ditch him, especially for something this big.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Internally, Bokuto shuddered. Kenma Kozume, Kuroo’s boyfriend, was quiet on the outside, but once you got to know him he was genuinely terrifying. Bokuto didn’t think he’d ever recover from the time he’d eaten Kenma’s limited edition cookie dough ice cream. He still sometimes had nightmares about the twisted look on Kenma’s face when he found out. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Please? I’ll owe you one,” Kuroo said, cutting into his thoughts.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You already owe me, like, a thousand,” Bokuto huffed, but he finished up the last bite of his cereal and started heading towards his room to get dressed anyways. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thank you! You’re the best!” Kuroo called as Bokuto shut the door behind him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, and don’t you forget it in a hurry!” he hollered back.</span>
  <span><br/>
<br/>
</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Twenty minutes later, Bokuto was all ready to go. When he reached the entryway, Kuroo was standing there too. He was staring intently at his phone, as if waiting for a message to come through.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Dude, you look constipated,” Bokuto laughed as he pulled on his shoes. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, well you look like an owl on meth who dyed its hair unsupervised,” Kuroo fired back without even looking up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Fuck you, Kuroo.” Kuroo just grinned cheekily. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Are you waiting for a message from Kenma?” Bokuto asked as he pulled on one shoe. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I don’t want to show up early, I hate waiting in the car.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s because your car smells awful.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Shut up.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bokuto snickered to himself. Kuroo’s car really did smell terrible, kind of like a mix of moldy bread and sweaty feet. That was why whenever he could help it, Bokuto never went in the car. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kuroo’s phone finally dinged with what was presumably Kenma’s message. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, I’m heading out now,” Kuroo sighed. “I probably won’t be back till late so don’t wait up for me for dinner. You know how Kenma loves to stay until the very end” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sure thing!” Bokuto exclaimed, and Kuroo waltzed out the door with a final wave goodbye. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bokuto knew that for all his complaining, Kuroo actually loved going to conventions with Kenma. Once, while drunk, Kuroo had said that they ‘made Kenma’s eyes light up, which made him even prettier than usual’. (Kuroo had then gone on to ramble for nearly thirty minutes about how pretty Kenma was. Maybe it had been longer, but Bokuto had fallen asleep.)</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bokuto grabbed his keys off the little hook by the door and then followed Kuroo outside. The August air was warm, and the sun was bright overhead. Bokuto smiled to himself as he slid into his car. The weather couldn’t have been better.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Before pulling out of the parking lot, Bokuto made sure he liked the music that was playing. After searching around, he settled on Green Day. He then revved the engine and rocketed out onto the road.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bokuto was an infamously awful driver. Even he knew it. No one was quite sure how he had ever passed his driver’s test, but somehow he had. It definitely didn’t help that he drove a broken-down 2002 Toyota Corolla that always seemed one speed bump away from collapsing. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>For some unknown reason, there was a lot more traffic than usual on the highway. Bokuto wasn’t in a hurry, so he just turned up the radio and sang along. Kuroo’s shift didn’t start for another hour, and he was only forty minutes away.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kuroo and Bokuto both worked at a flower shop called Karasuno Flowers in the heart of the city. They’d known the owner for years, and Bokuto had been a botany major in college. He loved plants, and was glad he’d been able to find a job involving them. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Along with the owner, Keishin Ukai, there were a handful of other people who worked at the shop. Tsukishima Kei, Kiyoko Shimizu, Yachi Hitoka, Hinata Shouyou and Sawamura Daichi all worked alongside Bokuto and Kuroo. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tsukishima was tall, grumpy and blonde, and hated Bokuto. He often complained about Bokuto’s noisiness, and Kuroo and Bokuto messed with him a lot. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kiyoko was cool and beautiful. She didn’t talk very much, but she had a commanding presence. Whenever she did talk, everyone listened. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Contrary to both Tsukishima and Kiyoko, Yachi was a nervous wreck. The first time Bokuto had met her, she’d broken down into hysterics because she was convinced he was going to mug her. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hinata was also small, but incredibly energetic. He was also one of Kenma’s oldest friends. Kuroo had affectionately named him Shrimpy when they were hanging out, which had resulted in Hinata and Kenma ganging up on him and whacking him with pillows until he surrendered. Unfortunately for Hinata, the nickname stuck. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lastly was Daichi. He was basically in charge of the shop, after Ukai. Everyone was scared of him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After nearly an hour in traffic, Bokuto finally reached his destination. He hurried out of his car and through the back door into the shop. Glancing at the clock by the coatrack Bokuto saw that he was a few minutes late. He hung up his jacket as quietly as he possibly could, but it was no use. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oi! What’re you doing here?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bokuto turned around to face Ukai, who looked confused and mildly irritated.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Isn’t today your day off?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, but Kuroo needed me to take his shift today,” Bokuto sighed. “He didn’t tell you?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No,” grumbled Ukai. “Figures.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The two of them walked into the staff room side by side. Hinata was also there, in the midst of grabbing a huge bag of fertilizer. While trying to hoist the heavy bag onto his back, he noticed Bokuto. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey, Bokuto!” he called cheerfully. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hi, Hinata! You got that?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hinata finally managed to throw the bag of fertilizer over his shoulder with a grunt. “Yep, I got it!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He walked out the door back into the main part of the shop, and Bokuto waved goodbye as he went. After Hinata vanished around the doorframe, he turned to Ukai. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So, what do you need me to do?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ukai rooted around in his apron pocket and pulled out a cigarette before answering. “Just go work the cash register and I’ll let you know if I need you for anything else.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bokuto dipped his head and went to grab one of the green aprons that all employees wear. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Ukai stare at the cigarette in his hand as if weighing its morality, then finally sigh and tuck it back into his pocket. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Trying to quit?” he asked, tying the strings of the apron behind his back. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, my husband finally told me to quit or he’s never making dinner again,” Ukai groaned. “And I’m a horrible cook.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bokuto blinked. How had he never known Ukai was married? He didn’t wear a ring on his left hand, but it was surprising it had never come up in conversation. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Anyways, get your ass to the checkout.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes, sir,” Bokuto said with a salute, and followed Hinata into the shop. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kiyoko was helping someone at the cash register, so he pretended to organize something on a shelf. After shifting the same 3 bags of mulch around for a minute, Bokuto saw the person leave. He bounded over and tapped Kiyoko on the shoulder. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey, I’m here to take over. You can probably take your break now,” he said as she turned to face him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She nodded. Bokuto moved into her place at the cash register, and Kiyoko started to make her way towards the back room. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bokuto leaned against the counter, scanning the shop. It was mostly empty, which wasn’t that surprising, considering that it was Thursday morning. The room was void of customers except for one middle aged man who appeared to be browsing for a bouquet. His face was scrunched up, and he was trying to choose between a bundle of roses and a bouquet of lilacs and lilies. Bokuto wondered why he needed it. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Hinata was a few aisles away from the man, stacking more large bags of fertilizer onto a shelf. His bright orange hair bobbed as he heaved them up. Despite his tiny stature, Hinata was surprisingly strong. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bokuto groaned to himself, flopping forward onto the counter. He hated slow days. At least when the shop was busy, he constantly had something to do. There was nothing worse than being bored, in Bokuto’s opinion. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He lifted his head up before anyone saw him slacking and Ukai ended up scolding him. While he’d been flopping around in anguish, another person had entered the shop. This time it was a woman, wearing a rumpled green sweater. She was admiring some of the most expensive flowers they had, huge bouquets of white orchids. If Bokuto was remembering right, they were about $120 apiece. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As Bokuto was musing to himself how much all of the bouquets together must cost (his conclusion: a lot), he caught movement in the corner of his eye. He glanced at the spot and saw with rising horror that the woman who’d just entered had scooped up almost all of the bouquets and was booking it for the door. Hinata had just gone into the back room, so Bokuto was the only one around to stop her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>In a split second, he vaulted himself over the counter and ran after her. She was able to go surprisingly fast considering her arms were laden with flowers. Bokuto smashed his way out of the door and located the woman on the sidewalk. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She was already flying up the street, but Bokuto was faster. He lengthened his stride and closed the distance between them quickly. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The people on the sidewalk all moved out of their way as fast as they could, muttering and gasping.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Someone call the police!” Bokuto yelled as he tore up the sidewalk. A man in a red shirt whipped out his phone and began frantically dialing. Satisfied, Bokuto leaned back into chasing the woman down.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Noticing Bokuto hot on her heels, she panicked and charged towards a crowded plaza. </span>
  <span></span><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“Look out!” Bokuto screamed. Everyone scrambled away, except for one person. He seemed to have been spacing out, and took one second too long to move. The woman with the flowers bowled him over and he toppled with a shocked look on his face.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Luckily, it slowed her down enough that Bokuto was finally able to tackle her. The two of them fell, Bokuto wrapping his arms tightly around her, and the orchids flew up into the air. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Slowly, Bokuto gathered himself and stood up. The woman had been knocked unconscious by the fall, so he left her lying on the ground. The man she’d slammed into was also on the ground, but judging by his groaning, he was still conscious. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bokuto noticed that the bouquets had exploded in the air, resulting in petals floating gently around him. He walked over to the man on the ground. It was technically Bokuto’s fault if he was hurt, so he should probably at least check if he was alright.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey, are you okay?” Bokuto said, reaching out a hand to help him up. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The man looked up, and Bokuto felt like he had been electrified. White petals danced between the two of them, and Bokuto only had one thought. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>This was the most beautiful man he had ever seen. </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>i live for the bokuroo friendship. them trolling each other constantly is my religion<br/>also in this everyone is gay bc it’s my hell fic, and everyone else is just living in it<br/>this was originally supposed to way longer, but i realized the next part would make way more sense from akaashi’s perspective, so bear with me!<br/>thanks again to lila for beta-ing this! love you babe</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. on the square</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>hello and welcome back to me projecting onto akaashi an unhealthy amount. i accidentally wrote this all today so whoops here ya go</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Akaashi groaned, his face against the pavement. Some crazy woman with arms full of flowers had rammed into him while he was wandering away from the office building. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It didn’t feel like anything was broken, but he could feel petals landing on his back. The bouquets must have flown into the air when they’d collided. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey, are you okay?” A voice reached Akaashi’s ears. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He lifted his head slowly. The faint throbbing developing in his skull made him feel like his brain was trapped in molasses.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There was a man standing above him, hand outstretched. Akaashi numbly thought that he looked very eccentric, albeit handsome.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He had dark hair with white tips, and it was gelled up aggressively so he looked sort of like an owl. His eyes were an alarming shade of gold, and they were wide with concern. Akaashi noted that he was built like a Greek god, with huge arms and broad shoulders. He also had to be at least six feet tall. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Akaashi reached up and grabbed Owl-Man’s hand. He was surprisingly strong, and hauled Akaashi upwards with so much force that he nearly fell forwards.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oops, careful,” the man said, steadying Akaashi.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thanks.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, no problem. It was my fault you got knocked over anyways,” he said sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. He glanced down and gasped. “Oh no, your stuff!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Akaashi followed the other man’s gaze and saw the contents of the box he had been carrying scattered across the sidewalk. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Here, let me help.” He dropped to the ground and began piling everything back into the box. Akaashi knelt to help. Together, they managed to grab everything without it getting stepped on. The other people on the sidewalk were still pushed back in a loose circle around them, murmuring among themselves.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thanks again,” Akaashi said as he stood up. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No problem,” the other man said cheerfully. “What’s your name?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Akaashi blanched. “What?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sorry, was that weird? I just figured that since you helped me catch a thief, we should probably know each others’ names.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Was that what had been happening? Akaashi glanced at the woman lying unconscious on the pavement and then at the man in front of him. The green apron he was wearing had “Karasuno Flowers” embroidered on the front pocket. That explained the flowers, then. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Akaashi looked back up at his counterpart’s face. He was still smiling widely. The look on his face was so open and honest that Akaashi thought it probably wouldn’t hurt to tell his name.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m Akaashi Keiji. You?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m Bokuto Koutarou!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A groan sounded to their left. Bokuto and Akaashi turned to look at the woman on the ground in unison. Bokuto’s smile dropped. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, right. I forgot about her.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Me too,” Akaashi offered. He wasn’t sure why he was even still here. He really wanted to get home for some self pity time before Suga and Oikawa kicked his door in. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bokuto looked back up at Akaashi. “Look, I’m really sorry to bother you anymore, but can you go ask the guy in red over there when the cops will be here?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sure,” Akaashi said, while wondering why he was so bad at saying no.  </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He started to walk over to the man in red Bokuto had pointed out. Maybe if he just got the answer, shouted it at Bokuto and left, he’d get home quickly enough for a bath. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>However, upon looking down at his hands, Akaashi realized Bokuto still had the box from his office. He peeked back and saw it tucked under one of Bokuto’s arms. Silently, he cursed himself for being so distracted. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Akaashi finally reached the man in red Bokuto had indicated. He confirmed that the cops were right around the corner, and Akaashi thanked him before making his way back to Bokuto. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bokuto was sitting on the woman lying on the pavement, staring at the petals piled beside her limp form. When he noticed Akaashi coming back over, his face brightened. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He said they should be here basically any minute now,” Akaashi said, anticipating Bokuto’s question. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bokuto nodded. “Alright, cool.” He seemed largely unbothered by the fact he was sitting on a person.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Bokuto-san, why are you sitting on her?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Huh?” Bokuto shifted his gaze to the woman beneath him. “Oh, she was waking up and I didn’t want her to get away.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Akaashi knelt down to check on her. “She still looks out cold to me.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Better safe than sorry,” Bokuto shrugged. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Just around the corner, the wailing of police sirens could be heard. Akaashi spotted the cops running across the plaza and quietly stepped back from Bokuto. It was probably best if he didn’t get any more involved in this. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He watched as Bokuto talked to the two cops, gesturing occasionally to the woman he was still sitting on. Eventually, the cops nodded to Bokuto, and he stood up. They grabbed the woman and hauled her upright before carrying her back to their car. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bokuto’s eyes followed the cop car until it was out of sight. After a quick remorseful glance at the flowers on the ground, he strolled back over to Akaashi.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sorry again about all that,” he sighed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s really alright,” Akaashi replied. This was his chance to finally leave and get away from the crowd that was still gawking at him and Bokuto. “I should probably take my stuff and head home now, though.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Do you want me to drive you somewhere?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Akaashi was stunned into silence. There was no way a man he’d met ten minutes ago was offering to drive him back to his house. And then he remembered that his car was still parked in the parking lot back at Fukurodani. It was at least a thirty minute walk away, and Akaashi would sooner be caught dead than going back to the place he’d been fired because he was stupid and forgot his car.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>In his mind, he weighed his options. He could say no thanks and leave politely, grab the box and run, or accept and have Suga pick up his car tomorrow. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>What the hell</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Akaashi thought to himself. </span>
  <em>
    <span>If he’s a serial killer and I end up dead in a ditch, at least I don’t have to find a new job</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sure, thanks,” Akaashi said aloud. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bokuto beamed, and his expression was so genuine that Akaashi found himself smiling a little too. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Let me call someone before we go, though,” Bokuto said, pulling his phone out of his back pocket. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sure,” Akaashi replied. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bokuto dialled a number into his phone and put it to his ear. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hi, Hinata!” he said cheerily when the person on the other end picked up. A pause. “Yeah, I’m out on the plaza. I managed to chase her down, but I need to do something, so can you come grab the flowers?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Another pause. “Yeah, they’re mostly fine. Some of ‘em got squashed, but only a few.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Akaashi could vaguely hear a tinny voice coming through the phone. He wondered who it was. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Alright, cool! See ya later!” Bokuto finally said, before hanging up. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He looked back to Akaashi. “We’re good to go!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re sure you don’t mind?” Akaashi asked, half hoping Bokuto would remember some urgent business elsewhere. Unfortunately, he didn’t.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Nope, I’m happy to help!” Bokuto said brightly. He started walking across the plaza, evidently leading Akaashi to his car. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Here she is!” Bokuto called, slapping the hood of a busted-up Toyota. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Akaashi was starting to have a few doubts. However, he still slid into the passenger seat. Bokuto hopped into the drivers’ seat and passed the box over to Akaashi. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Okay, where am I taking you?” Bokuto asked as he fired up the engine. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“1176 Sycamore Street,” Akaashi said. “It’s near the Upper East End.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bokuto nodded, and pulled out onto the road. As Bokuto gunned it onto the highway, Akaashi felt his life flash before his eyes. Of course Bokuto was a terrible driver. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Akaashi dug his fingers into the armrest on the seat. Luckily, the traffic from earlier that day had emptied out, but there was still just enough that Bokuto had to slow down a good deal.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They sat in silence for a moment as Bokuto navigated the mild traffic. The quiet became increasingly unbearable to Akaashi, until he finally cracked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Tell me something about yourself.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bokuto glanced over, confusion etched into his features. “What?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Akaashi smiled faintly. “Well, we met twenty minutes ago, apprehended a criminal together, and now you’re driving me to my house. I figure we should know at least a little about each other.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s fair,” Bokuto agreed. “What do you want to know?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>With a shrug, Akaashi said, “Whatever you want to tell me.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bokuto launched into a detailed retelling of his life, and Akaashi listened with interest. It turned out that Bokuto worked in the flower shop with his best friend, Kuroo. He’d majored in plant science in college, and was 26 years old. He also had two sisters.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The time passed quickly for Akaashi as Bokuto told stories about his adventures in high school. It sounded like Bokuto had been even wilder in high school than he was now. He spent nearly fifteen minutes talking about the time he managed to blow up a trash can on accident. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Eventually they reached a lull in conversation, the space between them filled with the soft hum of the air conditioner. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bokuto glanced over at Akaashi. “So, ‘Kaashi,” Bokuto said, “What about you?” Akaashi noted the nickname Bokuto had already coined.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What do you mean, ‘what about me’?” he replied.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I mean, what’s your life story?” Bokuto’s eyes were still locked on the road, but he dipped his head in Akaashi’s direction. “We’ve established that I’m not a serial killer, but what about you?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>For some reason, this caught Akaashi off guard. “Um, I don’t really know? I don’t have a very interesting life.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You gotta tell me about yourself, ‘Kaashi. Fair’s fair.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>With a sigh, Akaashi said, “What do you want to know?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Got any siblings?” Bokuto said instantly. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Nope, I’m an only child.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bokuto now wore an expression of jealousy and awe. “Wow, that must have been nice. Both of my sisters are older than me, so I was really easy to bully.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Akaashi eyed Bokuto’s huge shoulders and biceps and found this hard to believe. Instead of mentioning this, he replied, “No, it was actually pretty lonely. I never really had anyone to talk to.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Akaashi, that’s super depressing!” Bokuto yelled. “Tell me about something happy in your life!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Uh…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“C’mon, there’s gotta be something!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Shaking his head as Bokuto shouted mostly to himself, Akaashi turned to look out the window. It was true that he’d had a pretty lonely childhood. His parents were fine, but they were never the type to openly show emotion. Akaashi grew up sheltered and serious, and so he rarely made friends. Suga and Oikawa were the exception to the rule.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Anyways, I think we’re near your apartment now,” Bokuto said, cutting into Akaashi’s thoughts. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Akaashi scanned the passing scenery and realized he was right. The drive hadn’t felt nearly as long as it was.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, it’s that big gray one up on the left.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bokuto maneuvered the car over into the left lane, nearly giving Akaashi a heart attack. He pulled into the parking lot with little fanfare, and as he put the car in park Akaashi could physically feel his body relax. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thank you so much for driving me, Bokuto-san.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bokuto chuckled. “It was the least I could do after you got knocked over like that.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Would you like to come inside for a minute?” Akaashi blurted before he could stop himself. “As thanks, I mean.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, uh, sure!” Bokuto looked surprised by the offer, but also slightly pleased. Akaashi thanked god he wasn’t weirded out.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They both stepped out of the car, and Bokuto followed Akaashi up to his apartment. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sorry if it’s kind of messy,” Akaashi said as he threw open the door and walked into the entryway. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s alright!” Bokuto said. He was already taking off his shoes. His wide shoulders were even more pronounced in just a T-shirt. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Akaashi turned away from Bokuto, face scarlet. Why was he staring at Bokuto’s shoulders? That was just creepy. He made sure to arrange his features into something resembling a calm expression before turning back to face Bokuto. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Do you want a drink?” Akaashi said as the two of them made it to the kitchen. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Just water’s fine, if you have it,” Bokuto said cheerfully while settling himself onto Akaashi’s couch. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Akaashi retrieved two waters for them and sat next to Bokuto on the couch. “Want to watch a movie?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bokuto visibly smiled a little wider. “Sure, you got Netflix?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Akaashi, as it turned out, did not have Netflix, but did have an immeasurably large pile of DVD’s in his closet. After working together to carry them all out to the couch, Bokuto began sorting through the DVD’s and looking for ones he liked. He also kept up a running commentary the entire time.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, the Notebook? Y’know, I never would’ve guessed you were a romance guy. You seem like you’d be into horror movies,” he chattered away.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I think those are at the bottom of the pile,” Akaashi said, gesturing to the DVD for The Shining.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ooh, should we watch one of those?” Bokuto looked so excited that Akaashi didn’t have the heart to tell him that he’d probably fall asleep. While it was true he liked horror movies, Akaashi also had seen most of the ones he owned at least ten times. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bokuto selected Midsommar, having never seen it before, and placed it into the DVD player. The movie began to play, and Bokuto settled back down onto the couch next to Akaashi. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Akaashi was hyper aware of how close Bokuto’s knee was to his. He couldn’t even remember the last time someone who wasn’t Suga or Oikawa came to his apartment. It felt weird for Bokuto to be there, like someone had shifted all the furniture a few inches to the left. Nothing was technically different, but somehow it wasn’t the same at all.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As Akaashi had partly suspected, Bokuto was terrible at handling horror movies. He was jumpy, and a few times actually yelled and leapt off the couch. Each time, he sat back down looking embarrassed and apologized, but Akaashi honestly thought it was more entertaining than the movie. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The movie passed in a blur, and before he knew it, the credits were rolling.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That was really good!” Bokuto said, stretching his hands above his head as if he hadn’t jumped up only moments ago. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, it was,” Akaashi agreed. Out of habit, he glanced at the clock on top of the fridge.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His blood ran cold. It was nearly 6, which meant that any moment now, Suga and Oikawa would probably come powering through his door with as many bottles of tequila as they could carry. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Uh, Bokuto-san,” he started cautiously, “I really liked watching the movie with you, but I totally forgot I have friends coming over soon.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bokuto seemed to get the hint. “Okay, I should probably go then.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Akaashi smiled, relief flooding his veins. Bokuto stood up and walked over to the entryway, sliding his shoes back on.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thanks for letting me stay, ‘Kaashi,” Bokuto said. He held out a piece of paper to Akaashi. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When Akaashi looked at it, he saw a phone number scrawled in messy handwriting. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“In case you ever want to hang out again!” Bokuto shouted as he ran out the door. “Bye, Akaashi!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Goodbye, Bokuto-san,” Akaashi called after him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The door closed again, and Akaashi staggered back to his couch and collapsed on it. There was no way he’d really just had a guy over and watched a movie with him. But Midsommar’s credits were still rolling on the TV, and the piece of paper with his number on it was still there. Bokuto had definitely been real and not a hallucination, then. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He wondered what Suga and Oikawa would say if they found out. It occurred to him, with horror, that if they got here soon enough, there was a decent chance they’d see Bokuto leaving.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As if on cue, Akaashi heard his door open and close again with a slam. He groaned internally. Suga and Oikawa were terrifying when they wanted information.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He sat up straighter and steeled himself for the barrage of questions sure to come. This was going to be a long night. </span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. someone help akaashi</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“Who on Earth was that </span>
  <em>
    <span>hunk</span>
  </em>
  <span>?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Oikawa’ voice carried across the kitchen, shrill and accusatory. So they had seen Bokuto leaving, then.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Akaashi straightened his face before looking over at Suga and Oikawa. Maybe if he convinced them Bokuto had left another apartment, they would leave him alone. “What are you talking about?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I mean,” Oikawa said, a terrifyingly steely glint in his eyes, “That as we were pulling up, we saw a man built like a fucking Greek God leaving your apartment? What was that about.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Akaashi internally cursed, but he was careful to keep his face neutral.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, Bokuto-san?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Is that his name?” Suga chimed in. The look in his eyes was equally terrifying.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And what, pray tell, is the hottest man I’ve probably ever seen doing walking out of your apartment?” Oikawa leered. “You never said anything about seeing someone. Keeping secrets, are we?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Akaashi had to laugh. “Bokuto-san and I met earlier today, Oikawa. I didn’t tell you already because I knew you’d be over later.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Oikawa and Suga plopped themselves down on the couch on either side of Akaashi, handing him a glass.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Spill, now.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And so Akaashi told them all about his misadventures after wandering away from Fukurodani in a haze. How he’d gotten knocked over by the flower thief, how he’d met Bokuto, and how Bokuto had driven him home. Hearing it from his own mouth, it sounded a lot more exciting than it had felt.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Suga and Oikawa listened pretty well, with only the occasional comment. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When Akaashi was telling them about first seeing Bokuto, they had both started shouting.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What do you mean there were petals falling from the sky?” Suga yelled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Exactly what it sounds like, Suga.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Of course you get the cliché romance meet cute,” Oikawa grumbled. “No fair.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Akaashi smiled internally. Oikawa’s boyfriend, Iwaizumi, had been his best friend since they were five and they were neighbors basically their entire lives. Oikawa didn’t really have any room to talk about cliché romances.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As Oikawa muttered himself into silence, Akaashi forged onwards. He told them about the police and Bokuto driving him home.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh yeah, I need one of you to run and grab my car from the Fukurodani parking lot tomorrow,” he added as he finished the story. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What? Why?”</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
    <br/>
  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Akaashi smacked Oikawa with a pillow. “Why did you think I let Bokuto-san drive me? I left it there and I’m not going back to get it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Fair,” Suga said, sipping primly from his glass. Akaashi noticed that despite his fancy glass, Suga was actually drinking straight tequila. If it was anyone else, Akaashi would have been worried, but Suga was legendary for his alcohol tolerance. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So, to recap,” Oikawa said, “You met a hot man while flower petals fell from the sky like a fucking shoujo anime after helping him catch a theif, and then he drove you home even though he didn’t have to?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Pretty much,” Akaashi shrugged.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So then why was he still here when we got here?” Suga and Oikawa were slowly leaning closer, their expressions growing more threatening by the second. “Didn’t you say this was a few hours ago?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Akaashi pointedly looked away. He should’ve known better than to let Bokuto stay so late. This was exactly what he’d wanted to avoid.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Why was he still here, Akaashi?” The glower in Oikawa’s voice was obvious, even though Akaashi wasn’t looking at him. He decided it was better just to get this over with.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We watched a movie together,” Akaashi said evenly. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His two friends let out a yell. Akaashi winced. He loved Suga and Oikawa, but they were way too invested in his love life. He was not in love with Bokuto, and the movie hadn’t been a date, but Suga and Oikawa were sure to think otherwise.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Was it a date?” Suga shouted, nearly chucking his glass of tequila in his excitement. Akaashi smiled to himself wryly. He had been spot on.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, it wasn’t a date,” Akaashi sighed. “I wanted to thank him for driving me, so I invited him inside.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Akaashi, do you even remember the last time you had a guy in your apartment that wasn’t me or Suga?” Oikawa asked in a tone that implied he already knew what the correct answer was.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Akaashi didn’t respond, which just proved Oikawa correct. He’d never admit it out loud, but it had been a long time.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We don’t want to put pressure on you, but you really should put yourself back out there a little.” Suga’s voice had softened noticeably. For some reason, this irritated Akaashi.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Did he give you his number?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Akaashi wasn’t sure what this had to do with anything, but he still replied, “Yes.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Maybe text him, see if he wants to meet up again,” Oikawa suggested.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Akaashi opened his mouth to object, but Oikawa plowed on. “I’m not saying it has to be a date, but maybe just go out? You can probably afford a little break before you find another job, so enjoy the time off.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A sigh escaped Akaashi’s lips. “Yeah, alright.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He knew it was futile to argue with Suga and Oikawa once they got an idea into their heads. It would be easier to just meet up with Bokuto. Maybe that would get them off his back. At best, he might gain Bokuto as a friend. He seemed like a nice, genuine person, and lord knew that with scheming Suga and Oikawa as his best friends, Akaashi needed all the nice, genuine people he could get.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“By the way, why haven’t you been drinking?” Suga said. He was already refilling his glass with more tequila. “You invite us over to get wasted and you’re not even drinking? What terrible manners.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Don’t tell me you’re pregnant!” Oikawa gasped dramatically, throwing his hand across his forehead. He had always had a talent for theatrics.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“How did you guess?” Akaashi said drily, before downing almost his entire glass. The liquid slid easily down his throat, and he felt his body relax a little. “Also, I didn’t invite you. You invited yourselves.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Rude!” Suga and Oikawa booed in unison.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Not rude, just accurate.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After that, the alcohol started to vanish in large amounts. Akaashi was feeling decidedly tipsy now. He wasn’t really sure what Suga and Oikawa were shouting about, but he suspected it was related to their boyfriends. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Daichi and Iwaizumi were surprisingly put together considering who they chose to date, but Suga and Oikawa loved to pit them against each other to see whose boyfriend was better. There’d been one particularly memorable occasion where they had been forced into an arm wrestling competition for Suga and Oikawa’s enjoyment. As Daichi and Iwaizumi had struggled, Suga and Oikawa had been fawning over how strong they were. Even Akaashi had to admit they were incredibly muscular men.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>But not even they are as muscular as Bokuto-san</span>
  </em>
  <span>, his traitorous brain hissed. Akaashi shook his head. The alcohol was definitely getting to him now.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey!” A shout and smack on his arm brought Akaashi back down to Earth. Suga and Oikawa were both looking at him expectantly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sorry, what?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Oikawa huffed. “Who do you think would win between Daichi and Iwa-chan in a battle of wits? Suga thinks Daichi would win, but he’s wrong.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What does a battle of wits even mean?” Akaashi groaned, putting his head in his hands. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Unimportant!” Suga and Oikawa shouted in unison. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Akaashi took another sip of his drink. It was a lot easier to tune out his friends with lots of alcohol in his system. It wasn’t that he didn’t like them, it was just that they got very loud when drunk.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Anyways!” Suga yelled, abruptly turning away from Oikawa. “Don’t think you can divert our attention away from your new </span>
  <em>
    <span>friend</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Akaashi.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, you should seriously text him and ask to hang out!” Oikawa added loudly. His face was split by an evil grin, and Akaashi felt a chill run up his back. Sometimes he was very glad that Oikawa was on his side in life. The man was terrifying when he wanted to be.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sure, okay, if it means you’ll leave me alone,” Akaashi grumbled. “I’ll text him tomorrow morning.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Suga and Oikawa exchanged a look that Akaashi did not like. </span>
  <span></span>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“No.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Do it now.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They were leering at Akaashi now, leaning in closer. Suga grabbed the piece of paper with Boktuo’s phone number on it and forced it into Akaashi’s hand. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Text him now, Akaashi. We both know if you wait until we’re gone, you won’t do it,” Suga said, an air of menace about him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Akaashi had to admit to himself this was probably true. If he was left alone to text Bokuto, he’d overthink it and chicken out. The idea of going out with a real human man was honestly terrifying. It must have been at least a year since Akaashi had gone on a date.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Do it,” Oikawa hissed. Akaashi jumped; he’d forgotten him and Suga were still there.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Alright,” Akaashi sighed, caving. “But you guys have to help me decide what to say.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s not that complicated, just say you wanna hang out again. Ask to get coffee or something,” Suga said dismissively.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That seemed simple enough. Akaashi added Bokuto’s number to his contacts and set about composing a text to send. He didn’t want to come across as too pushy, but he also didn’t want to seem desperate, so it was important that it be worded correctly. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After typing a few iterations, none of which felt right, Akaashi glared at his phone. His phone looked back at him, as inanimate as it had always been. It shouldn’t be this hard to text a friend asking to get coffee. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I can practically hear you overthinking from here,” Suga muttered, breaking Akaashi’s concentration on staring at his phone. “Stop staring at the phone like it’s gonna write the message for you and just ask him if he wants to get coffee. Suggest a time and date. It’s not that hard.” Him and Oikawa were still drinking, and there was a noticeable dent in the bottle of tequila that they were working on.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Akaashi decided, after some internal debate, that Suga was right. He was overthinking, and Bokuto probably wouldn’t care about the wording. As he watched Suga chuck back another drink, he also thought that he should send this while he was relatively sober. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Finally, he settled on a message and sent it. It read:</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Sent to Bokuto-san / 6:38 p.m.</b>
</p><p>
  <b>Hello Bokuto-san, this is Akaashi from earlier. I was wondering if you wanted to go out for coffee sometime, as extra thanks for today? Let me know when you’re free.</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Okay, I sent it,” Akaashi said, offering up his phone to Suga and Oikawa as they turned their heads to see.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Their eyes flitted across the screen, reading the message.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Suga snorted. “Could you be any more dry if you tried?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Probably,” Akaashi shrugged. Suga narrowed his eyes, but didn’t respond. Akaashi held his gaze, and they glared at each for a moment.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Alright, not to interrupt your very homoerotic staredown,” Oikawa interrupted, “But now that that’s done can we drink like we planned? Great plan, me!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He threw back another drink, and Akaashi allowed Suga to refill his glass. Together they drank more and more, late into the night. Suga and Oikawa kept bickering about anything and everything, from which was the best ice cream to which of their boyfriends had the better thighs. Akaashi personally thought it was Daichi, not that he would ever tell Oikawa that.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>At some time past eleven, as he was drifting off, Akaashi wondered what Bokuto would say in response to his message. He hoped Bokuto would say yes. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>This surprised him. It wasn’t often Akaashi found people he really wanted to spend time with. But Bokuto was cheerful and bright, and Akaashi really wanted to get to know him better. He suspected if Bokuto said yes to their pseudo-date, it might actually be fun.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> Akaashi sighed to himself. Suga and Oikawa’s laughter was fading into the background and he could feel sleep claiming him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Maybe tomorrow would be a less bizarre day.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>akaashi really is just me projecting lmaooo</p><p>thanks again to lila and everyone's who read this so far! I've got big plans hehe</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. gay panic! at the flower shop</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>i am once again offering up the spotify playlist *holds*<br/><a href="https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0D6lI2XAkHCfIpIshVXAwz?si=3wp-9A-ZTNyksJiNnfAUKg">here please</a><br/>sorry this took a week lmaoooooooo</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Bokuto was exhausted. He’d slept nearly twelve hour last night, but for some reason he was still wiped out. He supposed that chasing down thieves took a lot of energy.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was the day after his excursion to Akaashi’s apartment, and he was back at work. When he’d gotten there that morning, Ukai had thanked him for chasing down the thief and then yelled at him for not coming back afterwards.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Although it was loud and probably not really necessary, Bokuto felt like he deserved it. He’d been so caught up in helping Akaashi that he’d totally forgotten about work and had just gone straight home from the apartment. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Where the hell did you even go?” Ukai asked as he neared the end of his scolding.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s a long story,” Bokuto muttered. Ukai sighed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m not even gonna ask. Just get back to work and don’t let any other thieves take off with our flowers.”</span>
  <span><br/>
<br/>
</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, sir!” Bokuto saluted him before scurrying off. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When he reached the checkout counter, Kuroo was waiting for him with an eyebrow raised. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What was all that about?” he asked as Bokuto slid behind the cash register.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Just about everything that went down when I took your shift yesterday.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh? Do tell.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bokuto obliged, and began telling the story of everything that had happened yesterday. The way a deranged woman had stolen flowers and he’d chased her down, and then how he had met  Akaashi. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wait, what?” Kuroo interjected. “You met a cute guy while stopping the thief?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, but let me finish.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kuroo held up his hands in surrender and Bokuto continued.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He told Kuroo about how the police had come and then how he’d driven Akaashi home. Kuroo’s eyebrows raised even more when Bokuto mentioned they’d watched a movie together.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Finally, Bokuto finished telling Kuroo about his adventures yesterday. To his confusion, Kuroo burst out laughing.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh my god,” Kuroo wheezed, “Of course you of all people probably met the love of your life while chasing a flower thief.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What- Akaashi’s not- what?” Bokuto spluttered. Kuroo was positively cackling now. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, sure. Did you think he was cute?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Duh,” Bokuto replied instantly. “He was probably the prettiest guy I’ve ever seen.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Prettier than me?” Kuroo wailed in mock outrage, pressing a hand over his heart. “I’ll never recover from this!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bokuto rolled his eyes and smacked Kuroo upside the head. “Shut up, Kuroo. You’re gonna get us in trouble with Ukai.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Slowly, Kuroo pulled himself together. When he’d finally stopped laughing enough to stand up straight again, he asked, “Okay, but did you at least give him your number?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m not stupid, Kuroo, of course I did,” Bokuto huffed. He would have been offended by Kuroo assuming he was a bumbling idiot, but at this point he was used to it. And maybe Kuroo wasn’t completely wrong.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, that’s something. Maybe he’ll text you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I really hope so,” Bokuto blurted. Kuroo smiled his unnerving catlike grin in return.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Just then, a customer entered the shop. Both Bokuto and Kuroo quickly fixed their faces into something vaguely professional. The woman wandered around the aisles for a moment before coming over to the counter.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sorry to bother, but would one of you help me pick some flowers?”</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“Of course, ma’am!” Bokuto said enthusiastically. He knew that Kuroo preferred to work behind the counter so he usually helped people out in the store. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As he walked over to the shelves and bucket of flowers on the far side of the store, he asked the woman, “So, what do you need flowers for?” It was good to know who and what flowers were for before suggesting any.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s my wife and I’s anniversary next week, so I wanted to get her flowers that reminded me of her,” the woman replied. The look in her eyes was incredibly soft. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>You can really tell she’s in love</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Bokuto thought wonderingly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Okay, what kind of person is your wife? What does she like?” he asked. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She told Bokuto all about her wife. Bokuto smiled to himself as the woman rambled enthusiastically. From what Bokuto could gather, she was an author, and the two of them had met at a karaoke party in college. They’d gotten married two years ago. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bokuto listened intently as she gushed, taking mental notes to help choose the flowers. Eventually they settled on a bouquet of red and white chrysanthemums, a plain and simple declaration of love. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“They represent devotion and love that lasts forever,” Boktuo explained. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The woman smiled widely. “She’ll love them.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bokuto led her over to the cash register where Kuroo rang her up. He walked back around the counter and watched as she paid for the flowers with an inconceivably gentle expression on her face. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It almost made him jealous. Boktuo himself had never been in love. He’d only ever had a handful of serious relationships, he was pretty sure he’d never really loved any of them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They ended amicably enough, but Bokuto was definitely the type to fall fast and hard then have it fade just as quickly, and his exes all noticed at some point or another. Honestly, at this point he wasn’t sure if he would ever settle down. The idea of being forced to stay with someone he lost feelings for made his skin crawl.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Eventually, the woman finished buying her flowers and left the shop, waving goodbye to him as she shut the door. Bokuto waved back cheerfully.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Dude, what was that?” Kuroo had sidled up next to him behind the cash register.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What do you mean?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I mean you looked kinda weird,” Kuroo said. “Almost sad, maybe.”</span>
  <span><br/>
<br/>
</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bokuto let out a slow breath. He knew he could be honest with Kuroo about this. They teased each other a lot, but at the end of the day they were still best friends who had each other’s backs. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It just made me kind of jealous to see her so happy and confidently in love, I guess,” he said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kuroo nodded. “Yeah, I can’t blame you. Even I was kinda jealous, and I have Kenma.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wow, way to rub it in,” Bokuto grumbled. Kuroo pointedly ignored him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“But anyways, what about the guy you met yesterday? You said you thought he was cute, right?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kuroo was wrong about that one. Bokuto didn’t think Akaashi was cute, he thought Akaashi was the most insanely, unfairly beautiful person he had ever met. The color of his eyes alone had been enough to make Bokuto stare. He’d been sneaking glances the entire drive back to Akaashi’s apartment, and he really hoped Akaashi hadn’t noticed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bokuto realized he should probably respond to Kuroo aloud.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, he was really pretty, but we met once and then I gave him my number and ran. Why would he even talk to me again?” Bokuto said skeptically. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Bokuto, I know you never believe me when I say it, but you’re actually a catch. You’re hot, respectful, and work in a flower shop, and it probably doesn’t hurt that your thighs could crush a watermelon.” Bokuto was very flustered by this. He’d never even tried to crush a watermelon with his thighs before, and he wasn’t sure he ever wanted to. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, but-”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No. Have you even checked to see if he texted or called?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>With dawning horror, Bokuto realized he hadn’t checked his phone since he’d gotten home yesterday. For all he knew, Akaashi had texted him 100 times and he’d missed them. What if Akaashi thought he hated him? The idea made his heart sink into his stomach. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hold on, I gotta go grab my phone!” Bokuto yelled and tore towards the back room where his jacket was hanging with the phone in its pocket. He could vaguely hear Kuroo cackling again in the background, but pretended he couldn’t. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After snatching his phone up, Bokuto booked it back to the counter. He knew Ukai would be mad if he ditched his post, no matter what it was for. Thankfully, no one new entered the shop before he made it back to Kuroo, who was still doubled over and wheezing with laughter.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Did you not check your phone since last night?” Kuroo choked out. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, I had a crazy day and I was tired after I got home,” Bokuto huffed, arms crossed. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kuroo pulled himself back together as best he could. “Well then check, dumbass.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Apprehensively unlocking his phone, Bokuto felt his heart drop clean through his stomach. There was one text, and it was from Akaashi. The time stamp read “6:38”. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Akaashi had texted him yesterday evening and he’d missed it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bokuto groaned loudly and flopped over the counter. Over the sound of his own voice, he heard Kuroo start laughing again. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I take it he did text, then?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, yesterday night,” Bokuto said, his voice muffled by the wooden countertop his face was pressed into. “Now he probably thinks I’m ignoring him and it was a big prank or something. He hates me.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Bo, be reasonable. If you text him and apologize for missing the message before, it’ll be fine,” Kuroo said dismissively. He grabbed Bokuto’s shoulders and tried to heave him up from the counter. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, you’re probably right, I guess,” Bokuto sighed, allowing Kuroo to prop him upright.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What did the message even say, anyways?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I didn’t check, I just saw that he texted.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kuroo snatched up Bokuto’s phone and scanned the screen. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He asked to get coffee sometime.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bokuto choked on air. “He what?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Wordlessly, Kuroo handed him the phone. He was right, the text from Akaashi was asking to go out for coffee. Bokuto couldn’t believe it. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He’d thought for sure that Akaashi would forget all about him. No doubt people were constantly falling at his feet because of how pretty and nice he was. It felt good that he wanted to go out for coffee with Bokuto, of all people.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bokuto immediately started furiously typing out a reply. Kuroo leaned to look over his shoulder to see what he was writing, but Bokuto titled the phone away. In response, Kuroo held up his hands in surrender and leaned back against the counter to wait until he had sent the text. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“And sent!” Bokuto shouted triumphantly after a moment, brandishing his phone at Kuroo. Upon leaning in, Kuroo saw the text read:</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Sent to AKAASHI / 10:14 a.m.</b>
</p><p>
  <b>sorry for missing your text, i fell asleep rly early last night! coffee sounds fun!! r u free this saturday morning? there’s a great coffee shop near the flower shop i work at downtown :))</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Way to be eloquent, dude,” Kuroo snorted. Bokuto glared at him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What do you mean?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Nothing, nothing.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Just then, a new customer strolled into the store, and Bokuto had to pocket his phone. He tried his best to look professional, straightening up and rearranging his face into something calmer. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The person who had entered the shop was a grumpy looking guy about their age with dark hair and piercing blue eyes. His eyes flicked over to Bokuto and Kuroo, and he began to walk resolutely over to them. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What’s up with him?” Kuroo hissed as the guy drew closer. Bokuto shrugged. The look on his face was painfully awkward, and he had a small bag in his hand.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When he finally reached the counter, he said, “Uh, do you know where Shoyou is?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Shoyou?” Kuroo said blankly. Bokuto caught on quicker.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hinata’s in the back room. Why?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The man held up the bag he was holding. “That dumbass forgot his lunch at home.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, okay, then you can go give it to him-” Bokuto paused. He didn’t know the guy’s name.</span>
</p><p>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“Kageyama,” he filled in. Bokuto gave him a thumbs up, and Kageyama disappeared into the back room.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As soon as he was out of sight, Kuroo and Bokuto leaned together conspiratorially. “Do you think that’s the mysterious boyfriend Hinata’s always rambling about?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Probably,” Kuroo said. “From what I heard I was expecting him to be a little more kingly, though.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I know, Hinata always talks about him like he’s royalty or something!” Bokuto gasped. “But he looked so awkward!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Who knows,” Kuroo sighed. “Either way, let’s focus on work.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bokuto mock saluted him, and they both turned their attention back to the store. Over the next couple hours, people trickled in and out of the shop. Bokuto helped a few people pick out flowers for their spouses, and even assisted one middle schooler in choosing flowers for the girl he liked. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bokuto thought it was cute, the way he was so serious about liking this girl despite being so young. When they had finally settled on a vase of forget-me-nots and daisies, the little boy’s face had lit up so completely Bokuto thought it would blind him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The kid bought the flowers and practically skipped out of the shop. Bokuto couldn’t help but feel a little bitter. He missed being young and carefree.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The rest of the day passed quickly. Bokuto barely remembered all the people he helped to choose flowers. Every hour or so, he’d check his phone, hoping for a reply from Akaashi. However, one didn’t come until just before he left to go home.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was some time after four, and the shop was slowly emptying. Less people were entering, and they were further in between. Bokuto and Kuroo were lazing around the cash register, talking idly and watching people pass the shop in the late afternoon light.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As he was in the midst of telling Kuroo about the latest video game he was playing, Bokuto’s phone dinged. He snatched it up immediately and was thrilled to see a notification from Akaashi. After ignoring Kuroo, who was trying to ask what he was doing, Bokuto opened the message. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>From AKAASHI / 4:24 p.m. </b>
</p><p>
  <b>That sounds great, Bokuto-san. Send me the address and we can meet there at 10, if that works.</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He said he can go!” Bokuto cheered.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Akaashi, I presume?” Kuroo said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bokuto nodded eagerly. “Hold on, I gotta text him back.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Sent to AKAASHI / 4:25 p.m. </b>
</p><p>
  <b>10 works fine!! the address is 298 Melody Street, see u there on saturday! :D</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Today is Friday, right?” Bokuto said, looking up from his phone.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, why?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We’re going out tomorrow!” Bokuto whooped.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Nice one,” Kuroo grinned. “I’ll make sure you don’t dress like a color-blind fourth grader tomorrow morning, then.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hey, I don’t dress like that!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sure you don’t.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bokuto continued to bicker with Kuroo, but inside he was glowing with excitement. </span>
  <span>He could barely wait to see Akaashi again.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>haha sorry this took so long, i kind of died inside for a little there and pretended the world wasn't real for a while<br/>anyways we're finally getting into it woo hoo</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. coffee date, pt 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>haha sorry this is late oops i got distracted again<br/>promise I'm gonna try and pump em out a little faster after this, but my life just got kinda crazy all of a sudden, so sorry in advance if I totally fail at that</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“Get your ass up!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A sharp voice cut through Bokuto’s sleep. He blearily opened his eyes, only to see a pillow flying at his face. Before he could react, it smacked him at full velocity.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What the hell?!” Bokuto sputtered around his mouthful of pillow. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’re late!” shouted the person who had thrown said pillow. Now that he was awake, Bokuto saw it was Kuroo, who  looked annoyed and slightly frazzled. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bokuto, still half asleep, took a minute to respond. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Late to what?” he finally said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Your pseudo-date, dumbass!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>That was all it took to make Bokuto rocket out of bed. He nearly fell over before realizing he was still tangled in his sheets. After wrestling himself free, he returned his attention to Kuroo.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What time is it?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kuroo grimaced. “Almost 9:30.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bokuto internally cursed himself and his late-sleeping habits. He had meant to set an alarm last night, but it had totally slipped his mind. Now he might be late to meet Akaashi.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dread settled over Bokuto. What if he was late enough that Akaashi thought he was being stood up and just left? He shook his head vigorously to rid himself of the thought. This just meant he’d have to get ready faster than normal.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bokuto crossed his room in a few long strides and threw open his closet. He didn’t usually care about his clothing too much, but for some reason he found himself wanting to impress Akaashi. From what Bokuto could guess, Akaashi seemed like the kind of person who liked big sweaters. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He fished around in his closet for a few minutes before finding an old sweater that had pink and yellow stripes. After tossing on that and a pair of jeans, Bokuto scurried into the kitchen. Kuroo had evidently left to go somewhere already, so Bokuto grabbed a strawberry PopTart to eat in the car, pulled on his shoes and dashed out the door.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Seeing as it was mid-morning on a weekend, the highway was relatively unclogged. The cars were sparse and all moving fast, and Bokuto always drove 10 over the speed limit anyways. The trip passed quickly, and he was able to make it downtown in record time. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After tearing into the parking lot behind the flower shop, Bokuto parked his car and glanced briefly at the clock. It was 9:57. He’d just barely made it in time. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bokuto leapt out of his car and started to speed walk towards the coffee shop across the street. He wove between the people on the sidewalk, feeling a little foolish and also a little like a ninja. As he drew nearer, he spotted Akaashi lingering by the entrance with his face practically buried in his phone. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Akaashi’s features were contorted into a very skeptical expression, and Bokuto wondered what he could possibly be looking at. Just as he was about to call out, however, Akaashi looked up and saw him. He waved, and his shoulders noticeably loosened. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sorry I’m almost late, I kind of overslept,” Bokuto said by way of a greeting as he approached Akaashi. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s alright, Bokuto-san,” Akaashi said. He had visibly relaxed when he noticed Bokuto, and seemed more at ease than when Bokuto had first caught sight of him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wanna go order?” Bokuto said, gesturing to the coffee shop beside them. Akaashi’s face broke into a soft smile. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“After you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They walked into the shop together. It was warmer and cozier than Bokuto had expected looking in from the outside. There were little tables scattered around, and each one had an elaborate candle placed in the middle. Fairy lights were in rows across the ceiling as well as the normal lights, and behind the cash register was a wall covered entirely by photos of grinning people. Bokuto could also faintly hear old jazz music playing. Overall, the place gave off a very homey vibe.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span> Bokuto wandered over to the end of the line with Akaashi trailing close behind. They stepped in after two teenagers who were bickering, and Bokuto turned to Akaashi.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What’re you thinking of getting?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Huh?” Akaashi looked caught slightly off guard. “Oh, probably just a black coffee.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bokuto made a face. “I don’t understand how people like that; it’s so bitter.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s kind of the point,” Akaashi said drily. “And I suppose you’ll be getting something like a caramel mocha with whipped cream?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bokuto opened his mouth to argue, but realized that this was almost exactly what he’d been planning on ordering. Instead, he huffed and replied, “Not all of us have dead taste buds, ‘Kaashi. Sweet things are good.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Mhm,” Akaashi said, clearly amused. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They lapsed into silence, and Bokuto snuck a glance at Akaashi. He was wearing a plain grey sweater, which would have been boring on anyone else, but it brought out his eyes. They seemed even brighter than before in the soft coffee shop light. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Akaashi looked over at him, and Bokuto quickly shifted his gaze to the menu. He’d been staring without realizing it. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Slowly, they drew closer to the counter, and Bokuto kept sneaking glances the entire way. He really wanted to talk to Akaashi, but was too nervous to try. And so they waited quietly to order their drinks. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When they finally reached the register, Bokuto caught Akaashi’s eye and nodded for him to order first.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ll just have a black coffee, thanks,” Akaashi said politely. The woman behind the counter jotted down his order, then turned to Bokuto.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Can I have a caramel mocha with whipped cream, please?” Bokuto said. He heard Akaashi try to stifle a snort, but ignored him. When the lady turned around to pass off their orders, however, he stuck out his tongue at Akaashi.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Akaashi just smirked, refusing to take the bait. After another moment of quiet, Bokuto cracked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Seriously, how do you drink that stuff? It’s like tar.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I think it’s an acquired taste, Bokuto-san. Although maybe it’s simply a matter of maturity,” Akaashi fired back, his face incredibly straight.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Akaashi,” Bokuto whined.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes, Bokuto-san?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bokuto didn’t really have a proper response, so he just muttered himself into silence. Just then, the lady behind the register turned back around for them to pay. Akaashi reached to grab his credit card, but Bokuto beat him to it. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“My treat, ‘Kaashi,” he said cheerfully. There was no way he was letting Akaashi pay on a date the day after he’d been fired.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Are you sure?” Akaashi looked caught slightly off guard, almost like he wasn’t used to people being this nice to him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bokuto grinned at him. “Of course.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He handed his card to the woman, who scanned with only a quick amused glance up at the two of them, which Bokuto pretended he hadn’t seen. She handed his card back, and Bokuto followed Akaashi towards a table to wait for their drinks.  </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Akaashi picked a table in one of the back corners, settling himself on the chair as Bokuto seated himself opposite. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m really glad you agreed to come,” Bokuto said after a semi-awkward silence started to fill the space between them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I really had fun the other day,” Bokuto smiled. Akaashi’s face reddened ever so slightly, which Bokuto figured meant he was caught off guard by the compliment.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m glad, so did I,” Akaashi said after a short pause. “It’s been a while since I really got out of the house.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bokuto titled his head in bemusement. “Why?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Just life complications,” Akaashi said tightly, his smile suddenly fading. Sensing this was a delicate subject, Bokuto decided to leave it alone.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, either way, I’m glad you came.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Akaashi seemed to have been expecting Bokuto to push the issue further, and looked immensely grateful they’d dropped it. He sighed quietly and leaned back a little in his chair. Bokuto went silent. Akaashi seemed like he needed a minute with his thoughts.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So, how was your day yesterday?” Akaashi finally said after a moment. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It was great! I got to help a bunch of people pick flowers!” Bokuto said enthusiastically. “There was even this one little middle schooler who came in to get flowers for a girl!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Akaashi smiled softly. “That sounds pretty cute.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It was,” Bokuto grinned. “He was so determined to do it right it was almost impressive.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“There was also a lady buying flowers for her wife,” Bokuto added as an afterthought. “She was nice, I guess.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Akaashi’s face shifted to an indecipherable expression. “Please tell me you’re not homophobic. That would be awkward.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bokuto stared blankly at him. “What? No, I like guys.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There was a moment where they just looked at each other. Bokuto wondered vaguely if he should say something, but it felt weird. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Eventually, Akaashi broke the stagnance by turning bright scarlet and putting his face into his hands. At the same time, Bokuto burst into laughter. He was laughing so hard, he could barely breathe.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m so sorry, I shouldn’t have assumed anything,” Akaashi said, his voice muffled by his hands. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s okay,” Bokuto gasped between fits of giggles. He was still wheezing and holding his sides. “I can’t blame you for checking.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Akaashi lifted his face up ever so slightly and Bokuto saw he was still brilliantly red. His eyes flicked up to Bokuto and then away before mumbled something incoherent.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I said so do I. Just so you don’t think I’m an ally with a savior complex or something.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bokuto grinned. “Gotcha.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bokuto was spared from thinking about their painful exchange any longer as their names were called out by the barista. He and Akaashi stood up at the same time to go grab the coffees. As they made their way back over to the counter, Bokuto noticed almost everyone in the shop was looking at them. The expression on their faces ranged from annoyed to mysteriously happy to just plain curious. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bokuto supposed he’d been laughing kind of loud. He never had been the best at volume control.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Akaashi picked up his coffee with a quick thanks to the barista and Bokuto followed suit. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Should we stay in here to drink them or go do something else with them?” Bokuto asked. He really liked talking to Akaashi, but he was still terrible at sitting still.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Is there anywhere fun to go that we can walk to?” Akaashi replied, sipping his coffee primly. His cheeks were still faintly tinted pink from his earlier embarrassment, and Bokuto couldn’t help thinking that it suited him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I think there was maybe a carnival in the park uptown this weekend,” Bokuto said nonchalantly, as though he hadn’t spent a solid hour looking into said carnival to make sure it looked fun to potentially go to.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sure, sounds good,” Akaashi smiled. Bokuto marched out of the shop, and Akaashi trailed along by his side.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The street outside was more crowded than when they’d entered the shop. Bokuto mused that it </span>
  <em>
    <span>was</span>
  </em>
  <span> a sunny summer Saturday and they </span>
  <em>
    <span>were</span>
  </em>
  <span> right near a shopping plaza. He just hoped the carnival wouldn’t be too packed. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As he and Akaashi began to walk down the sidewalk, Bokuto launched into a story about working in the shop with Kuroo. Now that Akaashi had relaxed a little, Bokuto felt more comfortable talking as much as he normally did, which was a lot. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He got about halfway through telling the story of how he and Kuroo had once been forced to drive over two hours in the middle of the night to lock up the shop after Ukai had forgotten before Akaashi interrupted.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wait, sorry, who’s Kuroo?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bokuto felt very stupid. “Oh, sorry! Kuroo’s my roommate and also my best friend. He’s a rotten idiot, and he has a really scary boyfriend named Kenma.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He turned to look Akaashi up and down. “Actually, you guys might get along.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Akaashi raised an eyebrow. “Are you implying that I’m scary, Bokuto-san?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What- no, I meant that you’re both kind of quiet and snarky, but no one can ever tell if you’re joking when you say things.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That’s-” Akaashi paused briefly. “Surprisingly accurate, actually.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thanks, I think.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The two of them continued to walk and talk until the carnival slowly became visible at the end of the road. There were an abundance of little game stands, all with prizes varying in size, and at least three popcorn stalls within their line of sight.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“This looks awesome!” Bokuto shouted, grabbing Akaashi’s arm and yanking him along as he sped up. “C’mon, we gotta get cotton candy or something!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As the carnival loomed ahead, Bokuto was filled with excitement. This was going to be so much fun.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. coffee date, pt 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>i just noticed the last chapter title was misspelled so whoopsie daisy, sorry bout that</p><p>anyways here sorry this took another week, I'm really trying to ramp up how fast I spit these out but school is somehow still kicking my ass despite it being break</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Akaashi wasn’t quite sure what was going on right now.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He’d woken that morning excited to see Bokuto, although it was admittedly against his own will. Akaashi’s traitorous internal clock had woken him up an hour earlier than was necessary because of it, and he’d seen no real reason to go back to bed. Instead he spent the entire hour agonizing over his outfit despite telling himself he didn’t care what Bokuto thought of how he looked, until finally Suga had called him and told him what to wear. More like yelled at him about what to wear, but Akaashi wasn’t complaining.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After making it downtown pretty quickly and being way too early, Akaashi decided to wait outside the coffee shop until he caught sight of Bokuto. He’d spammed Suga and Oikawa with so many texts in his state of nervousness that they’d both threatened to block him, but that was a near daily occurrence so it didn’t faze him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Just as Suga was lecturing him about “getting your head out of your ass and enjoying your date with this hot and respectful hunk,” (Akaashi had protested it wasn’t a date, but to no avail), Bokuto popped out of the crowd. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Akaashi fired Suga a quick text telling him to shut up and then waved to Bokuto, who was already looking in his direction. Bokuto’s face split into a wide grin and he waved back enthusiastically before bounding over. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When Bokuto reached him, he apologized for being late before leading Akaashi into the coffee shop. It was a cutesy little place, Akaashi thought, the perfect kind of place for spending weekend mornings with a friend. They’d ordered their coffees and talked idly while they waited at the table.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Akaashi had nearly died on the spot after the little miscommunication about Bokuto’s sexuality. He couldn’t even remember the last time he’d been so embarrassed. On the bright side, he now knew that there was a possibility Bokuto could be attracted to him and Bokuto knew the same thing.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He still wasn’t sure if this was good or bad.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After finally getting their coffee from the barista, Bokuto suggested they go elsewhere to drink it. Akaashi had assumed this meant somewhere like a picnic or a park bench, so he had agreed. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Now he was being towed behind Bokuto towards the carnival looming over them. Akaashi liked carnivals, but it had been so long since he’d been to one he was nervous he might have misremembered. Things always seemed more fun when you were a kid.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Akaashi was also starting to notice a theme for the day; it had apparently been longer than he thought since he’d just gone out and had fun. And this definitely was fun. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As they’d drawn closer to the carnival’s entrance, Bokuto had grabbed Akaashi’s arm and was now hauling him towards the ticket booth. The man behind the glass looked irritated, and Akaashi couldn’t blame him. Beyond the booth, the carnival appeared to be jam-packed full of little kids. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Internally, Akaashi groaned. He doesn’t really mind children, but being trapped with dozens of them while they’re all hopped up on sugar was not his idea of fun. He turned to Bokuto to tell him, but the look in his eyes was so bright and hopeful that Akaashi couldn’t bring himself to do it. If Bokuto wanted to go to the carnival, he’d just suffer through it in silence. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>While Akaashi had been thinking, Bokuto had been purchasing their passes from the cranky man in the booth. He turned to Akaashi and held out a neon green paper bracelet identical to the one already on his wrist. Akaashi took the bracelet wordlessly and wrapped it around his own wrist before following Bokuto into the carnival.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Here we are!” Bokuto crowed excitedly, gesturing to the stalls around them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Where would you like to go first?” Akaashi asked. He really hoped Bokuto wouldn’t expect him to play too many games.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bokuto scanned the area around them, looking for something that would catch his eye. He caught sight of a game booth with gigantic stuffed animals for prizes, and pointed at it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That one.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Akaashi glanced to where Bokuto was pointing. It was the sort of game where you have to toss a ball and knock over a tower of bottles to win a prize. Akaashi knew these sorts of games were usually rigged, but Bokuto seemed both oblivious and excited, so Akaashi let him go.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The woman behind the stall handed Bokuto three baseballs in exchange for his money. Akaashi felt bad for the woman. She must spend all her days working in this moving carnival full of loud children, which sounded like a nightmare to him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bokuto pushed two of his baseballs into Akaashi’s arms.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m gonna win you something, ‘Kaashi!” he said, and he sounded so confident that Akaashi found it difficult to believe he could be wrong.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You really don’t have to-” he started, but Bokuto cut him off.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I want to!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Akaashi nodded and stepped back, clutching the extra baseballs a little closer to his chest. Bokuto seemed determined to win him a prize, and he wasn’t about to try and stop him. He watched as Bokuto pulled back, winding up to throw the baseball as hard as he could. As he observed, Akaashi couldn’t help but think yet again that Bokuto was indeed very strong.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The look in Bokuto’s eyes was almost unhinged, and Akaashi was only thinking one thing as he watched him: </span>
  <em>
    <span>Oh no, he’s attractive</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bokuto finally threw the ball, and the tower of bottles flew off its little pedestal. Akaashi leaned forward and saw that the bottles were still glued in their tower shape. He had been right about it being rigged, but Bokuto must have hit them so hard that they just popped off the stand where they were stuck. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Akaashi glanced over at Bokuto to see if he’d noticed that the bottles had been rigged, but he was too busy cheering at his own victory.</span>
</p><p>
  <span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“What prize do I get?” Bokuto said eagerly, turning suddenly to the woman behind the booth. She was still staring at the bottles on the ground, mouth half open. Upon hearing Bokuto’s voice, she turned back to him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Pick whatever you want,” she said. It was clear that she was impressed with Bokuto’s strength. Akaashi was too, to be honest.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bokuto scanned the assortment of stuffed animals hanging above the stall. Most of them were either small or creepy, but there were a few bigger ones by the left. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>There was a mid-sized dinosaur that Akaashi found himself staring at. It had a sweet little face and he imagined it would look nice on his couch. He wasn’t going to ask Bokuto to get it for him, though, he had won and it was his prize.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’ll have that one!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Akaashi followed where Bokuto was pointing, and was surprised to see it was the same dinosaur he’d been admiring. The woman reached up and snatched the stuffed animal, passing it to Bokuto with a small smile. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He beamed back before turning to Akaashi and holding out the dinosaur.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You were looking at this, right?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Uh, yeah,” Akaashi said. He wasn’t quite sure where this was going. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, then you should have it!” Bokuto said brightly. “I did promise I’d win you something!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Akaashi took the dinosaur and half grinned at him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Thank you, Bokuto-san.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We should go get snacks!” Bokuto said, abruptly turning towards the cotton candy stand a little ways away.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Akaashi noticed with a hint of amusement that Bokuto’s ears were fantastically red. He opted not to mention this and instead let Bokuto lead him to the food. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They each purchased a bag of cotton candy, Bokuto a pink one and Akaashi a blue one. Bokuto insisted on paying for both, and Akaashi didn’t feel like arguing, so he let him. The cotton candy tasted like a long forgotten childhood, and suddenly Akaashi didn’t mind the laughing children around him. In fact, he almost understood where their unbridled joy was coming from.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After an hour or so, Bokuto had accumulated six stuffed animals including the dinosaur, two pink cowboy hats and an inflatable dolphin. When he won the hats, he had put one on his own head and insisted Akaashi wear the matching one. Akaashi’s arms were now laden with all the prizes and a pink cowboy hat was perched jauntily on his head as he trailed Bokuto and watched him win again and again. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The only game Akaashi had played so far was the ring toss after Bokuto challenged him to a game. Akaashi had absolutely demolished him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The ring toss was apparently Bokuto’s only weakness, and Akaashi had beaten him so badly that he had to buy Bokuto another thing of cotton candy to get him to stop talking about how good he was. It had been incredibly embarrassing, but also somehow flattering at the same time.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Considering they already had an obscene amount of prizes, Akaashi thought they should be done soon. Bokuto seemed to be getting a little tired, and Akaashi was feeling the same way.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>At that exact moment, Bokuto turned away from the stall he’d been gazing at and faced Akaashi.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m wiped out, do you wanna go sit for a little while before we head out?” he said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“That would be nice,” Akaashi agreed, and started to make his way over to a bench.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The two of them collapsed onto said bench, sitting in exhausted silence for a moment. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Akaashi’s mind began to wander. He’d had a surprising amount of fun on their little not-date. Bokuto talked a lot, which usually bothered Akaashi, but he actually found it sweet in this case.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He’d told stories of his childhood on and off all day, and all Akaashi had gathered was that Bokuto had been a semi-feral kid. He’d almost definitely been the kind of child who needed a leashed backpack. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Akaashi reached into his pocket to check his phone. He hadn’t looked at it all day and he was bound to have a few messages.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Upon opening it up, he saw twenty texts from Suga and Oikawa, which he ignored. They were no doubt harassing him about being out with Bokuto, and he didn’t want to talk to them right now. The clock read 2:26 pm, which meant he’d been here for four and a half hours.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Akaashi mused to himself that it hadn’t felt nearly that long. Time really does fly when you’re having fun.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Beside him, Bokuto finally spoke, breaking the comfortable silence.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Do you want any of the prizes besides the dinosaur and hat?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Akaashi sat up a little straighter, hefting the prizes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You really don’t need to give me the hat, Bokuto-san. I’m sure you have someone you’d rather match with.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, not really,” Bokuto sighed. “I only have five close friends, and Kuroo would just laugh at me.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>This, Akaashi found surprising. “Really? You seem like the type to be everyone’s best friend.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bokuto looked over at him and smiled ruefully. “Being outgoing doesn’t mean I have many close friends. A lot of people say I’m too overwhelming to be around all the time.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I can’t say I have many close friends either,” Akaashi sighed. “There’s Suga and Oikawa, who I’ve known forever, but beyond them it’s really only Kenma and sometimes I talk with Oikawa and Suga’s boyfriends.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wait, Kozume Kenma?” Bokuto was sitting up straighter too now, looking inquiringly at Akaashi.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, you know him?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He’s Kuroo’s boyfriend,” Bokuto laughed. “Small world, I guess.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Maybe we should all meet up sometime and hang out,” Akaashi blurted. Mentally, he kicked himself. He didn’t usually invite people he met two days ago to meet and hang out with his close friends. What was going on with him today? He was about to amend his statement when he noticed the hope creeping into Bokuto’s eyes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Really? You wouldn’t mind hanging out again?” he said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, I wouldn’t mind. I had fun today.” And actually, it was the truth. Akaashi hadn’t even realized how much he missed going out and having fun until today. He never did anything spontaneous these days.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Me too,” Bokuto said, smiling softly. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They sat for another moment before Akaashi stood up. He held out all the prizes to Bokuto, who took them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Just the dinosaur and hat, then?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Just the dinosaur and hat,” Akaashi confirmed. “I should probably head out now, but I’ll text you later to set something up with all our friends.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Bokuto grinned. “See ya around, ‘Kaashi! Have a good afternoon!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He waved, and Akaashi waved back as he walked towards the carnival’s exit. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He passed through the gates, and a woman sitting on a bench outside smiled at him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Nice date?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Akaashi smiled back. “Yeah. Yeah, it actually was.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>As he drifted down the sidewalk back towards his car, there was one thought in his mind: He really hoped he’d see Bokuto again soon.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>thanks again to my amazing beta <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/partywithoutplot/pseuds/partywithoutplot">lila</a>!! love you and thanks for putting up with me</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. employee game night</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>hi! sorry this one took longer, i’ve been having a super hectic week. </p>
<p>thanks for sticking with me! thanks as always to my amazing beta lila</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Bokuto had returned home from his outing with Akaashi practically floating. It had been one of the best dates he’d ever had, and it wasn’t even technically a date.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He’d been worried the carnival was too childish for someone as put together as Akaashi, but they’d both had a blast. It had been kind of embarrassing how badly Akaashi had beaten him at the ring toss, but Bokuto was too ecstatic to care. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>After basically waltzing in through the door, he flopped onto the couch. Akaashi’s little smiles throughout the day filled his head, and he had been so cute with the dumb pink cowboy hat on. Bokuto wasn’t normally one for hats, but if it meant he and Akaashi could match, he’d wear one all day long.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>As Bokuto dreamily re-lived his day, he faintly heard a door slam. It was probably Kuroo coming home from work. Sure enough, a moment later he heard Kuroo shout from the kitchen.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Oi! You back from your little date?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, it was amazing,” Bokuto sighed, sitting up straighter. He went to tell Kuroo about the whole day and how great Akaashi was, but he was interrupted.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Save it for later. Today’s employee game night, remember? They’ll all wanna hear about it too and I don’t want spoilers,” Kuroo said. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“What does spoilers even mean,” Bokuto snorted. “This is real life.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Shut up.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Bokuto flopped backwards onto the couch again. Kuroo was clanking around in the kitchen, undoubtedly making a snack for himself. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Anyways, you should go get ready. Kenma’s coming over soon to help us finish setting up,” Kuroo said. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Kenma’s coming?” Bokuto said, turning around to face Kuroo. He had a huge bowl of cheese puffs in hand. “He usually skips these things. Especially since he doesn’t actually work with us.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Kuroo shrugged. “I think Hinata pleaded so much it changed his mind. You know he has a soft spot for him.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, true,” Bokuto replied. Kenma did have a noticeable soft spot for Hinata. They were best friends, and he was the only person Kenma ever felt bad about saying no to besides Kuroo. This was a real accomplishment seeing as Kuroo had known Kenma since they were kids and had spent years picking away at Kenma’s walls until they had ultimately fallen for each other.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Bokuto always thought it was a sweet love story, but every time he mentioned it both Kuroo and Kenma shot him death glares. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Go get ready!” Kuroo shouted, jolting Bokuto out of his thoughts. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“What even is there to do?” he grumbled, but stood up and began to walk toward his room anyways. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You smell like a horrible mix of sweat and candy,” Kuroo replied, leveling a sharp look at him. “Go.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Bokuto ignored him and shut the door behind as he entered his room. The clothes he was wearing were probably fine to keep wearing, but upon checking Bokuto found that Kuroo was right: he smelled. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He swapped out the sweater he was wearing for another one and reapplied his deodorant, before checking his hair in the mirror. It looked fine, so he went back out into the kitchen. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>When he got there, he saw Kenma seated at the counter. He and Kuroo were discussing something that, based on their faces, was important.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey, Kenma!” Bokuto said, hopping into another seat at the counter. “What’re you guys talking about.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Kenma nodded to Bokuto to show he’d heard the greeting, and said, “We’re trying to pick which games we’ll play.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Shouldn’t we wait for everyone to be here so we can all decide together?” Bokuto said, puzzled. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Kuroo snorted. “C’mon Bo, you’ve met them. Tsukki and Hinata will argue until dawn if we don’t already have games picked out.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Okay, true,” Bokuto conceded. Tsukishima and Hinata made arguing seem like a competitive sport, and neither of them ever backed down. It was exhausting to even watch them bicker. “What’re the options?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Monopoly, Apples to Apples, Uno, Trivial Pursuit, Candy Land and Pictionary,” Kenma said. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Do you think we’ll have time for all of them?” Bokuto asked. He thought they did, so long as they played Monopoly last.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, probably,” Kuroo mused. “Pictionary should be extra fun seeing as I don’t think any of us can draw.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Shut up, Kuroo,” Bokuto and Kenma said in unison.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>After deciding on the games and their order, the three of them started setting up the snacks. Kuroo pulled packs of beer out of the fridge, Kenma popped buckets of popcorn and Bokuto tried his best not to burn the frozen pizzas in the oven. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The time until the party’s start passed quickly, and before Bokuto knew it there was a knock on the door.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ll get it!” he shouted, leaving Kenma and Kuroo to the last of the preparations. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Bokuto pulled open the door and saw Hinata standing there, alongside the dark haired guy who’d dropped off his lunch the other day. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Hi Bokuto!” Hinata said cheerfully. “I’m ready for game night!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Bokuto grinned back. “Good because I don’t plan on losing this time!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You say that every time and still lose,” Hinata countered. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Well not this time,” Bokuto promised. Deep down, he knew he would lose just like always. He was terrible at board games. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Hinata’s companion shifted awkwardly behind him, and Hinata seemed to remember his presence.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh! Sorry, this is Kageyama!” he said, gesturing to him. “I don’t know if you’ve met already, but he’s my boyfriend. I hope it’s alright I brought him.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Of course!” Bokuto smiled. “Any friend of Hinata’s is a friend of mine. Nice to finally meet you.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You too,” Kageyama said. He seemed nervous to be there. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, you’re the first ones here, but c’mon in,” Bokuto said, leading them into the apartment. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Kuroo and Kenma had finished setting up the game space, complete with food and all. They’d laid all the games out on the carpet and had placed the snacks on a table nearby. Hinata and Kageyama took their seats on the far end of the array of games. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Over the next few minutes, Daichi, Tsukishima, Yachi and Kiyoko all trickled in and sat down while chatting amongst themselves. Tsukishima had brought a friend, something Bokuto didn’t know he had. His name was Yamaguchi, and Bokuto thought he seemed pretty nice and funny. He sniped at Hinata and Kageyama right alongside Tsukki. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Bokuto wondered if the four of them were friends beyond work. They seemed like they already knew each other pretty well.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>After a bit of idle chatting, Bokuto decided they should get started on the actual games.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“Okay, game time!” he shouted. Everyone quickly fell silent and turned to listen. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“We’ve already decided the order of games so there’s no arguing,” Bokuto started. Tsukishima looked like he wanted to grumble about his, but he held his tongue. “First up is Apples to Apples.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Also,” Bokuto shouted over the noise, “To make things more interesting, after every game, everyone who didn’t win has to drink!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>This just served to make the group cheer. Looks of focus and determination flashed onto everyone’s faces, though. It was clear they all intended to win.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The game began, and it quickly became clear that beneath her cool and quiet persona, Kiyoko was actually hilarious. She knew just the right card to play for each person, and quickly amassed more cards than everyone else combined. After only a short while, she collected the ten cards necessary to win, and they moved onto the next game.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Next up was Candy Land, which proved difficult for everyone. Eventually Daichi was able to pull ahead and secure the win after Yamaguchi got his turn skipped. Bokuto never made it past the very beginning of the board.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“What happened to beating us all today, Bokuto?” Hinata said slyly as he took his drink.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey you’re not much better off,” Bokuto pointed out. “You were barely ahead of me in both games.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Not the point,” Hinata replied quickly, blushing scarlet. Beside him, Kageyama and Tsukishima snickered. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The third game was Trivial Pursuit. Most everyone did okay, with the exception of Bokuto, Hinata and Kageyama. They lost miserably. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Yachi finally won on a question about France’s national bird (it was the gallic rooster and no one knew how she got it right), they moved on to the next game.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>At this point there had been enough losses that people were starting to get a little tipsy. Hinata was giggling as Kageyama attempted to unscrew the top of a fresh beer bottle. He didn’t seem to have realized that the top was supposed to pop off. Kenma was leaned up against Kuroo, who was stuffing his face full of popcorn. Yachi and Kiyoko were chatting, as Kiyoko still seemed mostly sober. Bokuto was jealous of her tolerance. As for Daichi, Tsukishima and Yamaguchi, they were simply watching it all happen.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Bokuto let the chaos unfold for another moment before calling back everyone’s attention. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey! Time for the next game!” he shouted, holding the deck of Uno cards aloft. Everyone settled back down and began the game. As the cards were placed, Bokuto remembered there was something in the fuzzy corners of his brain he’d wanted to talk about.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>As if he’d read Bokuto’s mind, Kuroo said, “Hey, Bo, you gotta tell us about that date you went on.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Bokuto went on a date?” Hinata exclaimed, clearly excited. Kageyama whacked him to remind him to pay attention to his cards, which had almost been revealed.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“It wasn’t really a date,” Bokuto said. “Just hanging out.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“But do you like him?” Yachi asked.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah,” Bokuto replied immediately. He was surprised by how easy the answer came.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“So then ask him on a real date,” Kiyoko said. “Did he seem interested in you too?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I couldn’t tell if he likes me, but it seemed like he had fun.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“So, what’s your mystery man’s name?” Daichi said, catching everyone off guard. He didn’t usually question people about their love lives.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Akaashi Keiji,” Bokuto sighed. “He’s the prettiest and nicest person I’ve ever met.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Even prettier than Kiyoko?” Yachi asked. Her face indicated she thought this was impossible.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Bokuto turned to Kiyoko, considering her face. She stared evenly back.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“He actually kinda looks like Kiyoko now that I think about it,” Bokuto said. “But still.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Wait did you say Akaashi Keiji?” Kenma said. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah,” Bokuto said. A memory clicked in the back of his head. “You know him, right?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Kenma nodded. “We play video games together sometimes.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I know him too, actually,” Daichi chimed in. “He’s one of my boyfriend’s best friends.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“It really is a small world,” Bokuto wondered. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Everyone nodded their agreement. Tsukishima rolled his eyes and placed another card on the pile.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, he suggested all our friends get together, so this just makes it easier,” Bokuto said. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Kenma gave him a strange look. “He suggested getting together with a big group?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah?” Bokuto said uncertainly. “Is that weird?”</span>
  <span></span>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“He’s just not usually a people person,” Kenma said with a shrug. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Huh. I like the idea though. If I planned something would you guys come?” Bokuto said, facing his friends.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Definitely!” Hinata said excitedly. “That sounds so fun.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Then it’s decided!” Bokuto boomed. “I’m planning a party with Akaashi for all of us!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Uno,” came a voice from the far end of the board. While they had been discussing Bokuto’s date, Yamaguchi had managed to get rid of all his cards. He held up his last card with a grin.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“And now, I win,” he said, placing his final card on the pile. It matched the color.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>An uproar broke out and Yamaguchi and Tsukishima high fived the victory.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Not fair!” howled Hinata. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Perfectly fair,” replied Tsukishima. “Now drink, you sore loser.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Hinata grumbled something about “</span>
  <em>
    <span>you’re</span>
  </em>
  <span> the sore loser”, but he took the drink anyway. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Yamaguchi watched with a look of satisfaction as everyone slogged down another drink.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I thought you were nice, you traitor,” Bokuto said, pointing at him.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Tsukki is my boyfriend,” Yamaguchi said smugly. “I have to be a little mean sometimes.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>That explained why Tsukishima had brought him then.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>After the group settled down again, they moved on to Pictionary. Everyone's drawings were, as Kuroo predicted, terrible. The only person who could even remotely draw was Yachi, and her team with Kiyoko beat everyone by miles.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span> At last it was time for the last game of the night: Monopoly. After hours of grueling play with several near bankruptcies and even more secret alliances, Bokuto finally emerged victorious.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I won something!” he cheered. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“How did you do that!” Kuroo shouted. “I still have to help you do your taxes!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s just natural talent,” Bokuto said smugly.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>In response to this, Kuroo flipped the board.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Everyone else watched and whooped as Bokuto and Kuroo started wrestling on the floor. They flopped around for a minute, and no one was winning.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“THAT’S ENOUGH,” a voice yelled, even louder than everyone else’s shouts.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Bokuto looked up and saw Kenma glowering at them. He looked absolutely murderous.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Alright, I think maybe it’s time to officially end game night,” Bokuto hedged. Kenma glared at him and stomped off towards Kuroo’s bedroom.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ll go get him,” Kuroo hissed into Bokuto’s ear. Upon glancing at the clock, Bokuto saw it was nearing 1 am.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Nah, it’s late enough we should probably wrap up anyways. We can clean up tomorrow.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Everyone else slowly stood up and gathered their things before leaving.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Bye, guys!” Bokuto shouted as Hinata and Kageyama wobbled out the door.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“See you tomorrow, Bokuto!” Hinata shouted back. Beside him, Kageyama winced at the loud noise. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Once everyone had finally cleared out, Bokuto went straight to his room and collapsed into his bed. Employee game night was always a blast, but it was also exhausting.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Bokuto could feel himself drifting off to sleep. As he slowly lost consciousness, he started to brainstorm ideas for a big party with all of him and Akaashi’s friends.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>If he had any say in it, this was going to be the party of the century.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. party planning</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>After his not-date with Bokuto, Akaashi had gone home and napped the entire afternoon. He was always exhausted after a lot of human interaction, no matter how fun it’d been. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He dozed fitfully with the stuffed dinosaur tucked under his arm, and dreams full of nonsensical adventures overtook him. If Akaashi recalled correctly, one involved Bokuto in his pink cowboy hat splitting a watermelon with his thighs. Akaashi chose to attribute this to tiredness and willed himself to forget it.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>When he woke up after an hour or so, he had 34 missed calls from Suga and 28 from Oikawa. Akaashi wasn’t exactly surprised. Oikawa and Suga had always been over-involved in his love life, even when he explicitly told them that it had not been a date.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>With a roll of his eyes, he dialled both their numbers for a group FaceTime call. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What do you want,” he said flatly the moment they both picked up.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Rude!” Oikawa said huffily. “You go out on a date and don’t text us after? Disgraceful.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“For the thousandth time, it wasn’t a date,” Akaashi sighed. “I went out for coffee with a new friend.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Don’t play coy with us!” Suga shouted. “We both know that you have like four friends and you hate people.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Akaashi thought this was a bit harsh, although not inaccurate. He did have a history of avoiding making friends at all costs.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Anyways, what happened? What did you do? Tell us the good stuff,” Oikawa said. He had gotten a bowl of popcorn from somewhere and was now eating it while maintaining eye contact with Akaashi.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, tell us,” Suga agreed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Akaashi sighed again. “Not much happened. We got coffee, went to a carnival, and then went home.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Instantly, Oikawa and Suga both started shouting and gesticulating. It was impossible to understand what either of them were saying. Akaashi thought he saw Oikawa’s bowl of popcorn go flying. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Calm down,” Akaashi said loudly. “Stop yelling gibberish.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You went to a carnival?!” Suga yelled. “Even we couldn’t get you to go to one! You hate them!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Bokuto wanted to go, so I went,” Akaashi said with a shrug. “It was kind of fun. He won us matching pink cowboy hats, and he got me a stuffed dinosaur too.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Matching pink cowboy hats!” Oikawa howled. He disappeared from the frame and Akaashi assumed he’d fallen over due to laughter.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s actually kind of cute. Maybe I’ll wear it next time we meet up.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Please do,” Suga begged. “I need to get a picture to send to everyone you’ve ever known.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Shut up.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“But for real,” Oikawa wheezed, heaving himself back up into view, “You are down so astronomically bad. When do you ever do things just because someone else asked, especially someone you barely know?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I do now,” Akaashi said with a glare. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Oikawa and Suga continued to shout at him, both about the carnival and the hat, but Akaashi tuned them out. Now that he thought about it, it was true that he wasn’t the type of person to do things he didn’t like just because other people wanted to. Bokuto’s enthusiasm must have been rubbing off on him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>And honestly, Akaashi did like the pink cowboy hat a lot, no matter how stupid it looked. It made him smile to think that Bokuto had the other of the set.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wipe that dopey smile off your face!” Oikawa said sharply, cutting into Akaashi’s train of thought. “What are you even thinking about?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Nothing,” Akaashi replied, a little too quickly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You were thinking about Bokuto, right?” Suga said smugly. Akaashi’s lack of an answer spoke for itself. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Seriously, just admit to yourself that was some kind of date. You clearly like him, at the very least as a close friend,” Oikawa said. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Akaashi felt a pang of annoyance towards Oikawa. He knew he had good intentions, but this was the last thing he wanted to talk about.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Just then, in a stroke of luck, Akaashi’s phone dinged. It was text from Kenma, which was unusual, so he checked it immediately.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>From Kenma / 7:48 p.m.</b>
</p><p>
  <b>Are you free to talk right now?</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>By this point, Suga and Oikawa had noticed Akaashi wasn’t paying attention to them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What’re you doing?” Suga asked, abruptly switching from ranting about his obnoxious neighbor.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Kenma just sent me a very ominous text,” Akaashi replied as he typed a response. He sent it out as quickly as he could. Kenma disliked people who took a long time to respond to texts, which Akaashi found ironic seeing as Kenma himself sometimes took days to read texts sent to him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Sent to Kenma / 7:49 p.m.</b>
</p><p>
  <b>Yeah, hold on a second.</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Oikawa sniggered. “He does that a lot, huh?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m gonna add him to our call.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Go for it,” Suga said.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>With a few clicks, Akaashi added Kenma to the call. His face popped into view in the little box. It looked like he was in his kitchen, with Kuroo visible behind him making a sandwich. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hi Kenma!” Suga said brightly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What’s up?” Akaashi asked.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I just wanted to let you know that Bokuto and the idiot behind me are planning a big party, and they intend on inviting all three of you,” Kenma said, shooting a look over his shoulder at Kuroo. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kuroo, for his part, smiled lazily and waved with sandwich still in hand. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“A big party?” Oikawa asked, his interest piqued.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, with everyone in our weirdly interconnected circles of friends,” Kenma sighed. “I’m not sure exactly who’s invited, but at the very least it’s you guys and everyone at the flower shop.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Ooh, this sounds like so much fun!” Suga cheered. “When’s it happening?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kenma opened his mouth to respond, but Kuroo beat him to it. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Probably Tuesday night!” he shouted. “We’ve got the next day off because it’s our boss’s anniversary.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, I’m in,” Oikawa said enthusiastically.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, me too,” Suga agreed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Akaashi stayed silent. During the entire duration of the conversation, his mind had been racing. He really wanted to see Bokuto, but large gatherings never went well for him. There had been various parties over the course of university that all ended with Akaashi either standing alone in a corner for the whole party or getting vomited on by some drunk person.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Are you gonna go, Akaashi?” Kenma asked, eyes wide with faux-hopefulness. “Bokuto’s really excited to see you again.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Internally, Akaashi cursed Kenma and his top-notch guilt tripping skills. Now it felt like he had to go or he’d be letting Bokuto down, which was the last thing he wanted.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I’ll go,” Akaashi sighed. Suga and Oikawa both let out a whoop. They’d been trying to drag him out to a legitimate party for months, but to no avail. That is, until now.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“But if anyone gets too wasted, I’m just gonna leave,” he added.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kenma nodded. “Yeah, that’s fair. I’ll let Bokuto know you guys are all on board.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Can Daichi and Iwaizumi come?” Oikawa asked. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Of course,” Kenma replied. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Provided they arm wrestle Bokuto at some point,” Kuroo hollered from behind Kenma. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Kenma whipped around to glare at him, and Kuroo pulled together his best innocent face. “What? It’s for science.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I agree with Kuroo,” Oikawa said, deadpan. “The people need to know.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Suga just sniggered in the background.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, I’ll see you guys Tuesday,” Kenma said, hanging up abruptly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Oikawa sighed. “Same old Kenma. He’s just as blunt as when we were younger.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“ ‘When we were younger’? What are you, an old man?” Akaashi sniped, inserting himself back into the conversation.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oh, he’s definitely an old man,” Suga said somberly. “You should’ve heard him bitching about his achy back the other day. Highlight of my week.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Do you take pride in being a shitty person?” Oikawa replied with an obviously fake saccharine smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I do, actually. It’s my one reason for living,” Suga said, matching Oikawa’s false sugary-sweetness. The two of them stared each other down for a moment before bursting into laughter.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Anyways, Akaashi, I’m surprised you agreed to go to the party,” Suga said. “You normally hate these kinds of things.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, well,” Akaashi shrugged, “I guess I just realized I’ve barely left my house aside from work lately, and now I don’t even have that. Also, I know everyone going so there won’t be another incident like the one at Suga’s house last year.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I leave you alone for five minutes and you get yourself thrown into the pool,” Suga huffed. “I’m never gonna hear the end of it.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Probably not,” Oikawa agreed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Akaashi rolled his eyes. As Oikawa and Suga continued to banter, he glanced at the clock and was surprised to see it was already close to nine. He still hadn’t eaten dinner, which explained the growing rumble in his stomach. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m gonna go to sleep now,” Akaashi said, cutting across Oikawa.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Okay, bye!” Suga trilled. “Sweet dreams!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What are you, his mom?” Oikawa said. The two of them returned to exchanging insults, and Akaashi simply hung up the phone.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>With a sigh, he flopped back onto the couch. This party was sure to be interesting. Akaashi wasn’t sure if it would be good interesting or bad interesting, but at the very least he was sure he’d be entertained. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>His phone pinged, and he snatched it up to check. It was a text from Bokuto.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>From Bokuto-san / 9:04 p.m. </b>
</p><p>
  <b>heard ur coming to the party on tuesday :D im super excited to see u</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Sent to Bokuto-san / 9:05 p.m.</b>
</p><p>
  <b>I’m excited to see you too, Bokuto-san.</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>From Bokuto-san / 9:07 p.m.</b>
</p><p>
  <b>should we wear our matching cowboy hats???</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Sent to Bokuto-san / 9:08 p.m.</b>
</p><p>
  <b>If that’s what you’d like</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>From Bokuto-san / 9:08 p.m.</b>
</p><p>
  <b>see u on tuesday then :)))))</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Akaashi set down his phone with a smile. Bokuto’s enthusiasm really was contagious. He’d been apprehensive about the party before, but knowing Bokuto would also be there, and in a matching hat no less, lessened his nerves slightly.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>When did I get this sappy?</span>
  </em>
  <span> Akaashi wondered to himself. If you’d told Akaashi a month ago that he’d be going to a crowded party to see someone he’d met only days ago, he’d have laughed in your face.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>With a groan, Akaashi stood up from the couch. He really was tired, and Suga and Oikawa were sure to drag him out shopping tomorrow before the party on Tuesday, and that was always an exhausting ordeal. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The stuffed dinosaur Bokuto had won him in hand, Akaashi stumbled to his bedroom and crashed onto his bed. Within minutes, he was asleep.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Once again, dreams plagued Akaashi’s sleep. Half-formed stories and people danced across his consciousness. He vaguely remembered something about a pink dinosaur and a piñata. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The next morning, Akaashi was awoken by a loud knock on his door. If faintly registered in his sleep-ridden brain that he lived alone, but he still shouted, “Who is it?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s us!” Suga’s voice was muffled by the door, but his glee was undisguised. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Akaashi groaned loudly and shoved his face back into his pillow. “It’s too early for your antics.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“It’s never too early!” Suga responded. “Now get up! Oikawa’s making you breakfast before we go out for our shopping day.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>With a grunt, Akaashi heaved himself out of bed. He staggered to the door and flung it open. Suga was standing right there, a shit-eating grin gracing his features. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Who says I’m going with you on your dumb shopping trip,” Akaashi grumbled. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“The fact that you say that every time and then go anyways,” Suga replied cheekily. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I hate you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, you love me.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Nope, I definitely hate you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Oi!” came Oikawa’s voice from the kitchen. “Breakfast’s ready!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Akaashi shot a glare at Suga, but he wobbled sleepily off towards the kitchen anyways. In said kitchen, Oikawa was piling three plates with scrambled eggs and french toast. It smelled incredible.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I didn’t think you could cook,” Akaashi said as he sat down at the counter alongside Suga. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What do you mean, I’ve always been an incredible cook,” Oikawa said, throwing a hand across his chest dramatically.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“He’s been taking culinary classes with Iwaizumi,” Suga said smugly. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Snitch!” Oikawa shouted. “I’m never cooking for you again!”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Suga stuck his tongue out in response.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Akaashi picked up his fork and took a huge bite of egg. They tasted just as good as they smelled, so he shoveled the rest of them into his mouth too.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Jeez, you must be hungry,” Oikawa said, watching as Akaashi proceeded to wolf down the french toast too.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I forgot to eat dinner last night,” Akaashi replied around a mouthful of food. “I was super tired.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The three of them sat in silence and ate for a moment. Suga and Oikawa both ate much slower than Akaashi, so he stood up once he was done and started making his way to the bedroom. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Where’re you going?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m gonna get dressed while you guys finish eating, since you’re already ready to go.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Suga nodded. “Okay, we’ll wait by the door.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Akaashi strode into his room and threw open the closet. When going out with Suga and Oikawa, it was important for him to wear at least semi-stylish outfits. Once, he’d been tired and worn sweatpants on an outing, and they’d mocked him tirelessly for the whole day.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>After some internal debate, Akaashi settled on a pair of jeans and a rainbow striped tee shirt, along with a pair of pink sunglasses. He checked his reflection one last time in the mirror and then walked out to meet his friends by the door.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The two of them were chatting while they waited. When they saw Akaashi, they perked up and watched as he pulled on a pair of worn sneakers.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You ready to go?” Suga said as Akaashi straightened up. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“As I’ll ever be,” Akaashi replied.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Oikawa grinned widely. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“This is gonna be epic.”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>this chapter was actually supposed to be the party, but i got carried away writing suga and oikawa because i love them. sorry</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. the shopping trip</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>*throws this at you and runs away*</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>The shopping mall, as it turned out, was an hour’s drive away. For Akaashi, this meant he had to spend an hour crammed in Suga’s tiny car with his two friends. Oikawa had hijacked the aux almost immediately after they’d gotten on the road, so Nicki Minaj had been blasting the entire ride. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“So, you’re gonna let us help choose your outfit for the party, right?” Suga said as he merged left onto the highway. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, sure,” Akaashi sighed. Oikawa and Suga did admittedly have good fashion sense, but they also loved to pick out clothes that made Akaashi feel overdressed.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“No need to sound so excited,” Oikawa said, eyes glued to his phone.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I’ll try to sound excited if you let me pick the music,” Akaashi said with a side eye to Oikawa.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s a low blow!” Oikawa huffed, but he passed the phone over anyway.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>After a moment of scrolling through Spotify, Akaashi settled on playing AM by the Arctic Monkeys. Oikawa groaned.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>“What?” Akaashi asked, affronted.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You and your indie music,” Oikawa sighed.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Me and my indie music are gonna request you shut up now,” Akaashi said sweetly. “I’d much rather listen to Alex Turner than you.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Why, you!” Oikawa gasped, but he stopped talking anyways. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Akaashi turned to look out the window. The trees beyond the glass pane were blurring into little green smudges. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He still wasn’t quite sure how he felt about going to the party. On one hand, it would probably be kind of fun since Kenma was partially in charge of organizing. Kenma generally inspired enough fear that no one would try anything stupid while he was there. On the other hand, it was still a party, and therefore was fated to end badly for him.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>And all this was without factoring in the fact that Bokuto would be there. Akaashi had really liked hanging out with Bokuto, but who knew if he’d be different with his friends there. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>A sigh escaped Akaashi’s lips. He knew he was overthinking this, but he couldn’t help it. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Suga and Oikawa wanted well for him, but they were easily carried away. This party definitely had the potential to be a disaster.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey, give me back my phone,” Oikawa said, reaching across and snatching his phone back. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Are we almost there?” Akaashi asked, leaning back away from the window. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah,” Suga said. “It’s the next exit.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Finally,” Oikawa groaned. “I was starting to think we’d never get there.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Seeing as I am a fantastic driver, I take offense to that,” Suga said, his eyes still glued to the road.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Oikawa stuck his tongue out of Suga’s back. Suga promptly extended a middle finger over his shoulder. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Rude!” Oikawa gasped. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Says you,” Suga shot back.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Alright, alright,” Akaashi interjected. “Calm down.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Suga withdrew his hand back around his seat, and Oikawa rolled his eyes but changed the subject anyways.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“So, Akaashi, what’re you planning on getting for a party outfit?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I dunno, maybe some fun pants and a crop top?” Akaashi said. He didn’t really care either way, but Suga and Oikawa had always insisted that he “had the right torso” for crop tops.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Ooh, yes!” Suga squealed. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Can we please pick it?” Oikawa begged.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, fine,” Akaashi sighed.  “Are we nearly there?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Jeez, you’re worse than a little kid,” Suga snorted. Akaashi stuck his tongue out at Suga’s back.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The rest of the drive passed quickly and uneventfully. Oikawa spent the whole time filling the quiet with stories from his youth. Akaashi thought it was sweet how nearly all of them involved Iwaizumi in one way or another. The two of them had really always been a package deal.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Before long, Suga pulled into the mall’s parking lot. It was surprisingly empty for a Sunday, with only a few cars parked here and there. Akaashi figured this was good for him. He hated when the mall was crowded, especially the food court.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Suga parked the car as close to the entrance as he could. He unbuckled his seatbelt before turning to face Oikawa and Akaashi, who were seated in the back.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Get out, losers,” he said, an inhumanly large grin on his face. “We’re going shopping.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Akaashi rolled his eyes but followed Oikawa and Suga out of the car anyways.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>After the short walk over to the doors, the group entered the mall. In front of them was a huge atrium with skylights letting sunlight stream in. There were a handful of staircases in the corner of the room leading up to the second floor, and along the wide hallway ahead, the food court was visible. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“So, where are we going first?” Oikawa asked, walking over to a map of the mall that was placed by the stairs.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Let’s just walk until we see somewhere cute,” Suga suggested.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“That sounds good,” Akaashi agreed. “You lead the way.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Suga began to march towards the other end of the mall, and the other two hurried to follow him. Akaashi glanced around the mall as they walked. The second floor had a hole in the middle, resulting in it being sort of like a racetrack sticking out from the walls. This allowed the first floor to see all the way up to the skylights in the ceiling, and some people were poking their heads over the rails on the edge of the second floor. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>It was a surprisingly airy space. The skylights let in the sun, and there were potted plants scattered around a few of the shop's entrances. Only a handful of people were visible, either shopping in the stores or standing in clusters and chatting.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Ooh, look!” Suga said, pointing at a store across the way. “That one seems good!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Akaashi followed the line of Suga’s finger to a small store with colorful polos and pants in its display window. He had to agree that it did look like the kind of place all three of them would enjoy.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Sure, let’s go.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>They entered the store all together, and Akaashi gazed around it. He quickly spotted a corner in the back that looked like a rainbow had exploded, and figured that’s where Suga and Oikawa would want to be. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Before Akaashi was able to say anything, Suga was already making a beeline for the corner with Oikawa hot on his heels. With a faintly amused sigh, Akaashi followed.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“So, what’re we thinking?” Oikawa said to Suga as Akaashi approached them. The two of them were standing side by side, scrutinizing Akaashi. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Obviously a crop top,” Suga said. “Maybe some leather pants? His legs are certainly long enough.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>A groan escaped Akaashi’s lips. “Please, no leather pants.” Suga and Oikawa booed, but he ignored them. “I think you guys forget I’m actually capable of choosing my own clothes, thanks.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Sure you’re capable, but we’re more capable,” Oikawa said offhandedly. “Now c’mere, I wanna see how this looks on you.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>After stuffing Akaashi into a dressing room with multiple different options, Suga turned to Oikawa. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“That you wish we were in a movie so we could do a montage?” Oikawa sighed. “Yeah, that is what I’m thinking.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Although that would be epic, that’s not what I was thinking,” Suga said.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Oikawa raised an eyebrow. “Oh? Then what?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Suga leaned in closer and hissed, “We’ve gotta find a way to set up Akaashi and Bokuto at this party.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>They both shot furtive looks at the dressing room’s closed hangings to make sure Akaashi wasn’t listening before Oikawa replied.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I wholeheartedly agree, but you know he might get mad at us.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Honestly, if it means he’d go out with someone and stop moping around his apartment, I’d be okay with that,” Suga murmured.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Oikawa nodded, but before he could speak again, Akaashi threw open the dressing room curtains with the first outfit on.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh my god,” Suga breathed.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I knew it would look stupid,” Akaashi said grumpliy.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“No, you idiot, it looks amazing,” Oikawa cut across.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Akaashi was wearing leather pants and a bright red t-shirt, which would have looked unremarkable on anyone but him and his exceedingly long legs.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s perfect,” Suga said, taking a step back to admire his handiwork. “Really hot but doesn’t look like you’re trying too hard.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Alright, alright,” Akaashi interjected, his cheeks blushing slightly. “Are you guys gonna go find yourself outfits or is it my turn to choose for you?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Akaashi returned to the changing room to put back on his normal clothes, and when he emerged, Suga and Oikawa had already selected outfits.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Can I see?” he asked as he walked up to them where they were waiting in the checkout line. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Nope, it’s a surprise,” Oikawa said gleefully, clutching the bundle of clothes tighter to his chest.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Akaashi rolled his eyes, but didn’t press the matter. Suga and Oikawa were both inhumanly stubborn, and he didn’t care that much anyways.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Ugh, this line is so slow,” Suga groaned. “Talk to me about something, I’m bored.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“What do you think the party will be like?” Akaashi asked. While he was giving Suga something to blabber about, he also was genuinely curious. He didn’t know many of the people at the flower shop, but they sounded nice enough from the way Bokuto had talked about them. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“It’ll probably be fun, even for a party pooper like you,” Suga said thoughtfully.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey,” Akaashi grumbled.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“If Kenma’s going, you know it won’t be too rowdy, at least,” Oikawa added, ignoring Akaashi.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“And the flower shop people sounded pretty nice,” Akaashi said. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Did Bokuto tell you about them?” Suga asked.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
    <br/>
  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Not much, just that they were all funny and cool,” Akaashi said with a shrug.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Just our kind of people, then,” Oikawa said brightly.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>At this point, they’d finally reached the front of the line. Suga stepped up to a cash register to pay, and Akaashi stepped up to another one. He paid for the pants and shirt and quickly as he could before walking over to the exit to wait for his friends.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Once Suga and Oikawa arrived as well, newly bought bags of clothes in hand, he glanced between them. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Should we go to the food court now, since that didn’t take very long?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes please,” Suga said. “I’m starving.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The three of them walked back down the hall towards the food court. When they reached it, Akaashi took all the bags and secured them a table while Suga and Oikawa went to go order their food.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Get me a salad!” Akaashi called after their retreating backs. Suga waved a hand over his shoulder to indicate he’d heard.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“That place looks like it’ll be good, right?” Suga said to Oikawa, pointing to a stall that had salads and sandwiches.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yep,” Oikawa replied, and the two of them stepped into the back of the line.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Suga shot a quick glance over his shoulder to make sure Akaashi wasn’t watching them, and when he confirmed it, he turned back to Oikawa. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Okay, are we serious about setting Akaashi up?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I know I am,” Oikawa said. “The poor man is practically a vampire at this point, he goes out so little.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Should we make a plan?” Suga asked. “We should totally make a plan.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Okay, here’s my pitch,” Oikawa said seriously. “We bring a karaoke machine with us to the party and have a karaoke contest. We set it up so the two of them have to sing a super romantic duet. They realize they like each other. It’s all horrendously adorable and cliché and we celebrate with mai tais in the background.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s really stupid,” Suga, his tone almost impressed. “I love it. Let’s do it.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The two of them continued to snigger and discuss the party as they ordered the food. Back at their table, Akaashi was definitely not thinking about the party. He wasn’t mildly freaking out at all. Everything was fine.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Maybe he wasn’t as fine as he was telling himself, but the party would still be fine. He had no reason to be worried. If Bokuto thought they were nice people, that was good enough for him. Not to mention that Suga and Oikawa were both chatty enough to make extremely efficient human shields.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Akaashi stared hard at the table and tried to calm himself down. Panicking wouldn’t help anything. He just had to go and get over with.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>As Akaashi continued berating himself mentally, a salad fell onto the table right where he was staring. He looked up and saw Suga and Oikawa standing there, lunches in hand.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You ready to dig in?” Suga asked. “I sure am.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He and Oikawa plopped down into the two other chairs at the table and began to wolf down their sandwiches immediately. Akaashi opened up his salad and started to eat it slowly.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t know how you guys eat so much,” Akaashi said dryly. “I think I’d explode.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You didn’t explode at that barbecue last summer,” Oikawa sniggered.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t know how many times I have to say that I was sick for two days afterwards,” Akaashi said exasperatedly. “And he challenged me to an eating competition! You know drunk me is bad at saying no.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Suga and Oikawa just kept laughing at him. Akaashi rolled his eyes and continued eating his lunch.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Anyways, are we going home after this?” Akaashi said after a moment. “We got everything we came for already.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, darling,” Suga said, an evil glint in his eye, “This was gonna be a day trip either way.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Throw out your trash and let’s go buy things we don’t need!” Oikawa cheered, looking equally as malicious.</span>
  <span></span>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Akaashi groaned, but internally he was glad they were staying. No matter how much Suga and Oikawa could be annoying, they always had his back.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>As long as they were there, this party might not suck after all.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>sorry for the accidental 2 week hiatus! i got major writers block for no reason and then my life got crazy, but i think im back now</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. suga's party begins</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Tuesday rolled around quickly for Bokuto. He would have expected the short time to feel like forever because he could barely wait for the party. However, it was Tuesday afternoon before he even knew what happened.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey, Kuroo!” he yelled out his door as he contemplated the contents of his closet. “Get in here, I need your advice.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Kuroo’s head popped around the doorframe almost instantly. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Oho,” he said, a lazy grin on his face. “What does the Great and Mighty Bokuto need my help for?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Shut up,” Bokuto grumbled. Kuroo just raised an eyebrow. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Bokuto sighed. “Please help me pick an outfit.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I thought you’d never ask,” Kuroo replied, plainly giddy with glee at the power that had been placed into his hands. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Nothing stupid though, okay?” Bokuto said, a note of desperation in his voice.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Fear not, by the time I’m through with you, you’ll be the hottest man in the land.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Bokuto was definitely feeling fear. He just hoped Kuroo knew he really did not want to look like a colorblind fourth-grader tonight. In the past, when consulted on outfits, Kuroo had convinced Bokuto to wear some of the worst outfits possibly ever created. He shuddered just remembering.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>As Bokuto was reminiscing on the times Kuroo had messed with him, Kuroo was rooting through Bokuto’s closet. He tossed things out left and right, leaving a pile of clothes behind him.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey!” Bokuto said indignantly. “Stop chucking around my clothes!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, yeah, whatever,” Kuroo said, extricating himself from the closet with a few garments in hand. “Try these on.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>A bundle of clothes sailed through the air and hit Bokuto in the face. He was going to yell at Kuroo, but he’d already moved on and was leaving the room.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Tell me when you’re dressed so I can judge if you look dumb or not,” he called from beyond the door. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Bokuto unballed the clothes Kuroo had thrown at him and held them up. The pants were a pair of regular mom jeans. He was pretty sure they’d been a Christmas gift from his mom. The shirt was just a red tee, and there was also a flannel. Altogether it was an unremarkable outfit, but regardless of what he said to the contrary, Bokuto really did trust Kuroo’s judgement. He pulled on the clothes and walked out into the kitchen where Kuroo was waiting, already dressed.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Kuroo looked him up and down before saying, “Yeah, that’s good. Should we head out?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Where are we even meeting?” Bokuto said, reaching down to pull on his sneakers. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I think we were gonna meet in Daichi’s apartment since it’s the biggest,” Kuroo replied.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Bokuto nodded. “Sounds good. Kenma helped plan, right?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yep.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“At least we know no one will be totally shitfaced, then,” Bokuto snorted. Kenma had a reputation for tossing people out of his parties if they got too wasted. Bokuto was therefore always careful to monitor his alcohol intake, as he had no desire to get thrown out onto the street while drunk.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Alright, you ready to leave?” Kuroo asked as Bokuto straightened up after finishing tying his shoes.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Just gotta grab one more thing,” Bokuto said, suddenly remembering his promise to Akaashi that he’d bring the pink cowboy hat. He ran to his room and snatched it off the dresser where it had been sitting.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Kuroor rolled his eyes as Bokuto came back to the doorway. “Is that your matching hat with your new boy toy?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Shut up,” Bokuto replied eloquently. “Let’s go.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Bokuto followed Kuroo out the door and into the parking lot. The two of them slid into Kuroo’s car, and Bokuto immediately slid the passenger seat back. Kenma was considerably shorter than he was, and he always adjusted the seat.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Kuroo pulled out of the lot, and Bokuto texted Daichi to tell them they were en route. After a bit of internal debate, he also texted Akaashi.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>Sent to AKAASHI / 7:13 p.m.</b>
</p>
<p>
  <b>hey hey!! see u soon and i got the hat :D</b>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Bokuto’s phone pinged with Akaashi’s reply almost instantly.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>From AKAASHI / 7:14 p.m.</b>
</p>
<p>
  <b>I’ll bring mine too, then. Can’t have you wearing a pink cowboy hat alone</b>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>Sent to AKAASHI / 7:14 p.m.</b>
</p>
<p>
  <b>this is why youre my favorite. youre so much nicer than kuroo</b>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>From AKAASHI / 7:15 p.m. </b>
</p>
<p>
  <b>I feel bad for him, honestly</b>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>Sent to AKAASHI / 7:16 p.m.</b>
</p>
<p>
  <b>dont you mean me??????</b>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>From AKAASHI / 7:17 p.m.</b>
</p>
<p>
  <b>No.</b>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>Sent to AKAASHI / 7:18 p.m.</b>
</p>
<p>
  <b>AKAASHIIIIIIII</b>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <b>From AKAASHI / 7:20 p.m.</b>
</p>
<p>
  <b>See you shortly, Bokuto</b>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Bokuto smiled to himself. He might not have known Akaashi very long, but he was glad they’d met. While Bokuto did really care about Kuroo, sometimes a change of pace was nice. Akaashi and Kuroo were similar in their dry humor and dark hair, but other than that they were completely different. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Oi!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Bokuto jumped, nearly tossing his phone. Kuroo was side eyeing him as he stopped for a red light. “Get that dopey smile off your face.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I am not-”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes you are,” Kuroo interrupted. “You look like a lovesick fourth grader.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Bokuto pouted, but he knew Kuroo was probably right. Although the comparison was a little much.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Are we nearly there?” he asked, knowing it was an abrupt change of subject. Luckily, Kuroo went along with it.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, it’s like another ten minutes.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Do you know what we’re doing?” Bokuto said.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Kuroo shrugged. “Nah, Kenma wouldn’t tell me. Probably something fun but not too wild.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Speaking of Kenma, is he already there?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“He helped set everything up, so yeah,” Kuroo replied, turning off the highway. “What’s with the twenty questions?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m just curious by nature,” Bokuto huffed. They both knew this wasn’t the whole truth, but in the spirit of the party, Kuroo just kept driving in silence.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The rest of the drive passed quickly and quietly, and they were parking before Bokuto knew it. He stepped out of the car nervously. Internally, he reassured himself that it would be fine. Parties were always fun and he knew everyone there. Not to mention that Akaashi would be there, which would make it extra fun.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You ready to make our grand entrance?” Kuroo said, hip-bumping Bokuto with a grin.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You know it,” Bokuto replied, matching his grin.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>They walked up the apartment complexes’ stairs side by side, and located Daichi’s door pretty quickly. Kuroo knocked, and they waited for someone to answer. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Put on the hat,” Kuroo said, nudging Bokuto. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Gladly,” Bokuto replied, whipping the pink hat onto his head like the cowboys in old westerns he’d seen. Kuroo sniggered, but Bokuto ignored him. He knew he looked cool.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Just then, the door swung open, revealing Daichi. His hair was a bit disheveled, and there was laughter pouring out the door from behind him. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Guys, you made it!” he said, opening the door wider so they could step inside. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I hope we’re not late,” Bokuto replied, stepping into the apartment. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Beyond Daichi, people were spread out between the kitchen and the living room. Bokuto and Kuroo entered, and there was a lull in conversation as everyone looked over at them. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Hi Bokuto!” Hinata shouted brightly, breaking the quiet. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey, shrimpy!” Bokuto called back, and the party slowly whirred back to life. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Bokuto made his way over to Hinata with Kuroo close behind. “How’s it been so far?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Fun!” Hinata said. “By the way, I think your Akaashi is over there.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Bokuto was about to correct Hinata and say Akaashi wasn’t really </span>
  <em>
    <span>his</span>
  </em>
  <span>, per se, but decided it wasn’t worth it and glanced to where Hinata was pointing. Akaashi was indeed standing there. Bokuto noticed with a thrill that he also had his pink cowboy hat in hand.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Catch you later,” he said to Kuroo, and then walked away.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I hope I didn’t miss anything too good,” Bokuto said as he reached Akaashi.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Hardly,” Akaashi replied. “It’s just been chatting and snacks so far.” </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Maybe we can fix that,” Bokuto said, somewhat cheekily.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Looks like Suga’s gonna beat you to it,” Akaashi said, pointing over Bokuto’s shoulder. He turned around and saw Suga and who he thought must be Oikawa setting up a karaoke machine. Suga was holding the microphone attached to the machine and looking positively evil.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Alright, everyone!” he said, his amplified voice booming through the apartment. “Now that everyone is here, the party can really start!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Come on,” complained a voice from the back that sounded suspiciously like Kenma. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Hush,” Suga said. “You’ll love it.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Bokuto thought this was doubtful, but kept quiet anyways.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span> “The plan is: we’re having a karaoke tournament,” Suga continued.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Whoops and cheers erupted.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m gonna win, so you should all quit now,” shouted Kuroo.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s not that simple,” Suga said, smiling even wider than before. “See, in this tournament, you have to have a partner. The kicker is, I’m choosing all the partners. And you have to sing classic romantic duets.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Is this optional?” Tsukishima called.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Nope! Participation is mandatory,” Suga replied. “Get up here so I can sort you into pairs.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I should’ve known Suga and Oikawa would cook up something like this,” Akaashi sighed.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“They seem like real handfuls,” Bokuto sniggered.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You can say that again.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“You two!” Suga shouted suddenly. Bokuto looked up and saw he was pointing directly at him and Akaashi. “You’re partners! Also, I’m requesting you wear your matching hats for the duet!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Akaashi glanced over at Bokuto. “You got your hat?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yep,” Bokuto said, holding it up. “And you have yours.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Akaashi held his hat up too, mirroring Bokuto. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Should we put them on now?” Bokuto asked.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Akaashi tilted his head to the side, plainly considering whether or not to save the hats for later. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, let’s wear them now,” he finally decided. “Just to get the initial mockery over with sooner.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Bokuto put the hat on, and Akaashi followed suit. Out of nowhere, Kuroo appeared by Bokuto elbow and gave a wolf whistle.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Looks nice,” he said with a smirk. “Not at all like something a four-year-old would own.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Shove it,” Bokuto replied succinctly. He saw out of the corner of his eye that Akaashi looked vaguely confused and remembered that the two of them hadn’t met yet.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Kuroo, this is Akaashi. Akaashi, Kuroo,” he said, gesturing between them.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Nice to finally meet you,” Akaashi said, dipping his head to Kuroo. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Not sure why, but you’re taller than I imagined,” Kuroo smirked. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Akaashi snorted. “I’ll choose to take that as a compliment.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Before Kuroo could reply, Suga’s voice filled the room once again. “Alright, everybody! The tournament is now officially underway!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The group cheered, and the first duo stepped up to the microphones. It was Yachi, who was fidgeting nervously, and Hinata, who looked simultaneously excited and terrifyingly determined. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Hinata glanced over at Yachi and she nodded in return. </span>
  <em>
    <span>You’re the One That I Want</span>
  </em>
  <span> from Grease started blasting from the karaoke machine’s speakers. As the intro came to an end, there was a visible change in Yachi’s posture. She straightened up, and it appeared she was so focused she forgot to be scared.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Hinata sang the first few lines, and Bokuto winced. Despite his energy, he had a very bad singing voice. Even if he sang like a drowned cat, Hinata still sold the song somewhat well.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>However, the entire thing was saved when Yachi started singing. Her voice wasn’t perfect, but contrasted to Hinata’s, it was like an angel’s. She was also more confident than Bokuto would’ve expected. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Their song ended quickly, and everyone applauded. Yachi seemed to come back to herself, blushing and giving a quick bow before scurrying out of the limelight. Hinata smiled and waved at the crowd before following her.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Next up were Yamaguchi and Kageyama. Both their stances were awkward, but they looked just as determined to win as Hinata.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>The familiar beginning of </span>
  <em>
    <span>American Boy</span>
  </em>
  <span> began to play, and Bokuto raised an eyebrow. Neither Kageyama nor Yamaguchi looked like they would be capable of rapping. Probably Kageyama more so.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Much to his surprise, it was Yamaguchi who took Kanye’s part, and he was actually really good. His voice was soft, but it worked with the song. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Bokuto was even more caught off guard when Kageyama began singing. He was actually good. With a laugh, Bokuto imagined Hinata and Kageyama trying to go Christmas carolling together. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Kageyama and Yamaguchi wrapped up their performance to cheers from everyone else. They both half-blushed and then shuffled away from the karaoke machine. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>From across the room, Hinata shouted, “You guys were amazing! Tobio, why didn’t you tell me you could sing so well?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Kageyama shrugged as his blush deepened. “It never really felt important.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, I think it’s important,” Hinata huffed. “You really are amazing.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Bokuto smiled as he watched the exchange. He’d always considered Hinata a sort of little brother, and he and Kageyama were very cute together. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>He glanced over at Akaashi and saw he was wearing a bittersweet expression. It wasn’t really any of his business, but Bokuto couldn’t help wondering if Akaashi had just had a breakup or something. He looked a little too sad watching Hinata and Kageyama.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Bokuto turned his attention back to the karaoke machine as Kuroo, Daichi and an unwilling Tsukishima stepped up to take their turn. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Why do they get three?” someone shouted. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Good question,” replied Suga. “Because we have an odd number and I said so.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Kuroo snickered and hip checked Tsukishima, who was looking even more long-suffering than usual. “Promise to give it your best, grumpy pants!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I am </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> grumpy,” Tsukishima grumped, leveling a glare at Kuroo. Daichi ignored them and grabbed a microphone.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>They selected </span>
  <em>
    <span>Don’t Go Breakin’ My Heart</span>
  </em>
  <span>, but Kuroo and Tsukishima spent the entire song shoving each other. Daichi just sang, pretending he didn’t see his partners acting like children behind him. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>They were finished quickly, and Suga and Oikawa stepped up to go next. Akaashi groaned.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“What is it?” asked Bokuto?</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Knowing them, they’ll pick a song that’s completely ridiculous to start with and then make it even more overdramatic,” Akaashi said with a roll of his eyes.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>As the first notes of </span>
  <em>
    <span>A Whole New World</span>
  </em>
  <span> played from the karaoke machine, Akaashi groaned again. Bokuto couldn’t help laughing, and was thrilled when Akaashi shot him a small smile.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Oikawa, meanwhile, began to launch into the most exaggerated rendition of the song Bokuto had ever heard. When Suga joined in, it somehow just got worse. Their turn got the most applause so far, and the two of them bowed ostentatiously when they were done.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“How were we?” Suga asked Akaashi as he and Oikawa arrived next to him. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Predictably ridiculous,” Akaashi said, but it was obvious he was trying not to smile.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Rude!” Suga huffed. He turned to Bokuto instead. “How about you, Bokuto? You seem nice, how did we do?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I loved it,” Bokuto said, grinning.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Oikawa looked at Akaashi, shaking his head. “See, Akaashi? That’s how you be a good  friend.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“And the same rules apply to you?” Akaashi asked dryly. Oikawa stuck his tongue out in response.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>A sudden thought struck Bokuto as Akaashi, Oikawa and Suga continued to snipe at each other. “Wait, if you two are in the competition, who’s judging?”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Suga just winked at him and then walked away. Iwaizumi and Kiyoko were preparing for their performance, and Bokuto returned his attention to them. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>As the rest of the group quieted down, </span>
  <em>
    <span>Promiscuous</span>
  </em>
  <span>’s intro started playing. Iwaizumi took the rap part while Kiyoko took the singing, and Oikawa whistled at Iwaizumi.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I might pass out,” Bokuto said faintly to no one in particular. “Is my nose bleeding? I feel like it should be.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Why?” Akaashi asked. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m a bisexual whose type is people with dark hair and blue eyes,” Bokuto breathed. “This is making me overload.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Akaashi was silent for a moment. Bokuto wondered why, then remembered abruptly that Akaashi had dark hair and blue eyes and also knew he was attracted to men. Immediate regret washed over him, but it was too late to take it back so he just kept </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>quiet and wished the floor would eat him whole. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>They stood in semi-awkward silence for the rest of Iwaizumi and Kiyoko’s song. Internally, Bokuto was beating himself up. The last thing he wanted was to make Akaashi uncomfortable, and due to his suspicions about the breakup, this would probably fall under that category. He wasn’t about to saying anything though.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Eventually, Iwaizumi and Kiyoko finished their song and everyone cheered. Oikawa whooped especially loud, earning him a sharp look from Iwaizumi. </span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“Okay, last group!” Suga shouted over the commotion. “Akaashi and Bokuto, you’re up!”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>A look of fierce determination came over Akaashi’s face, unlike anything Bokuto had seen on him until then. It was honestly… really hot.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Bokuto wanted to punch himself in the face. He was not allowed to find Akaashi hot. They’d just met. He had probably just gone through a breakup. That was very much a no.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>As Bokuto mentally yelled at himself, Akaashi turned to face him. His eyes flashed with resolve.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>“We’re gonna win this stupid karaoke contest.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Bokuto was so, so screwed.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>i am The Worst. my b</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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